


Collateral Damage

by RomaStache



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Brotherly Affection, Character Death, Dubious Science, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family, Gen, It's ok! he gets better!, Kinda sentient gasterblasters?, Major Character Injury, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, RG 01 and RG 02 cameos, Sans Has Issues, The Path to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions, papyrus tries his best, running away from problems
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-01-25 23:39:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 25,199
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12543868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RomaStache/pseuds/RomaStache
Summary: Every day it was the same routine… until one day it wasn’t.For Papyrus, it ended in a nightmare of a dusty jacket- no, in a bright beam of magic in the trees- no, with a shrill scream and barks on the end of a phone call- no, with grasping hand from the darkness and brightness and being absolutely alone and with far too many people everywhere and nowhere at once.For Sans, it started  with a smile reflected in a knife- no, when Papyrus had a nightmare- no, when he couldn’t find Papyrus- no, when two punk-kids started asking questions about a ‘brother’ he never had and inducing a near constant sense of dejavu. He would remember if he ever had a brother, especially one who looks like… uh, that… right? ...right? Do you...uh ...need a hand, buddy?(Alternatively: I keep losing my brother across space and time and I hate it. But when I tried to fix it, I ended up ‘losing’ myself. Sort of. Wait, is that…? Polo? Polo! I’m right here! Can’t you seeme,Sans?! )





	1. Something Wicked this Way Comes

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This is a labor of love, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we've enjoyed working on it! :D Thanks so much for your support!

Papyrus twirled a bone as he led the way toward a clearing in the forest by Snowdin, boots loudly crunching through the snow as Sans softer slippers barely made a sound behind him. Every day it was the same routine, get up early and practice for a few hours before going on patrol for humans. It was important to stay in good condition, after all. Undyne had warned them how vicious humans could be and knowing how weak Sans' defense was, Papyrus couldn't help but worry.  
  
  
Sans stifled a yawn as he trailed after Papyrus, hands stuffed into his pockets as he idly looked at the trees overhead. No birds today, huh.  
  
  
"You know Sans, you could at least _try_   to be a little more enthusiastic about training." Papyrus came to a stop once they arrived, turning to face his brother. "You always look so exhausted. Do you never get a good night's sleep?"  
  
  
"Sorry, bro," Sans automatically apologized, trying his best not to sigh as he swayed on unsteady feet. Then Papyrus turned around, and the corners of his mouth stretched into that too-wide smile. He shrugged nonchalantly, winking at his brother as he airily replied, " I can't help being _bone-tired_ all the time."  
  
  
He knew it was coming, Sans had been too quiet on the walk over for Papyrus not to expect it, but he let out a high pitched sigh through his teeth anyway.  
  
  
Sans chuckled.  
  
  
“Maybe you're lacking in some vitamins. This is what happens when you eat hamburgers and ketchup everyday.”  
  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Pap, I have plenty of calcium."  
  
  
Typical. The slightest expression of genuine concern and Sans always found a way to turn it into a joke.   
  
  
Papyrus watched his brother with a frown as he (very slowly) made his way to his designated spot on the training field.  
  
  
"What are you going to do if a human walks by your guard post and you're dozing off? They could kill you without even trying." He leaned a hand on his hip bone, speaking unnecessarily loud to be heard across the clearing and hopefully through his thick headed brother.  
  
  
Sans stared at Papyrus for a moment, before reluctantly pulling his hands out of his pockets and attempting to stop slouching, although it was all very half-hearted and he put his right hand back in after a few moments.  
  
  
"I'm serious Sans."  
  
  
Papyrus could practically see the punchline forming in Sans mind, and he continued speaking in a rush with a deepening frown, "I can't really explain it to you, but I have this feeling we're going to meet a human very soon! So we need to be ready! Also, you don't even drink milk!!"  
  
  
"You're serious? And here I thought you were Papyrus-" Sans looked smug for only a moment before his smile faltered, looking up sharply.  
  
  
"Ughhh." He knew it had been coming. That particular joke merited a special concentrated bone barrage. "Alright, here I go! Give me everything you've got."  
  
  
"Wait, what do you mean-"  
  
  
That particular joke merited a special concentrated bone barrage, and Sans quickly dodged left and they impaled the trees behind him.He shook his head fondly, belatedly realizing those bones had been blue and he needn't have bothered. Taking it easy on him again, as per usual.  
  
  
"See, if you could just channel your skills at dodging into your attacks you'd be unstoppable."  
  
  
Sans smiled (he always smiled) and gave a shrug. "Takes way too much energy to do both, bro. 'Sides, with you around, why should I bother?"  
  
  
Sans threw a bone attack back, varying the heights to try and trip Papyrus. "What do you mean 'feeling'?" he asked a little breathlessly.  
  
  
Papyrus sighed, dodging the attack sent his way with practiced ease (and allowing one or two to strike). He didn't expect such a thoughtless comment to get Sans' attention.  
  
  
"Just...a feeling." Receiving a flat look Papyrus put a hand to his chin and tried to explain, never faltering in either attacking or dodging. "I guess I hadn't really thought about it. But I know I'm right! I'm as confident a human child will come through here as I am that I have cooking lessons with Undyne this Thursday."  
  
  
Sans knew it was probably hopeless to keep pressing this issue, and honestly he wasn't sure he wanted to know if Papyrus could remember anything or not, but he couldn't help himself. He dodged another attack pretty narrowly, noting Papyrus was going a little harder than usual, so he sent a faster barrage of bones in a zigzag pattern. Was he irritated Sans didn’t seem to believe him?  
  
  
"Ok, but," Sans had to stop to catch his breath, already starting to feel drained from trying to keep up with Papyrus’ energy, "Is this like it-happened-in-a-dream feeling, or like smells-like-rain sort of deal?"  
  
  
"What? Why would that matter? Whether one shows up tomorrow or next week I'll be ready for them- and so should you!" Without warning he threw a blue attack, watching with a critical eye in case Sans couldn't quite notice and dodge in time.  
  
  
Sans took a step back, and sent a barrage of bones back to cancel the attack. It was mostly successful, but he was starting to feel absolutely exhausted. More so than usual. He hoped his smile wasn't as strained as it felt, giving Papyrus a thumbs up and wheezing laugh.  
  
  
"Nice one! These old bones can barely keep up, haha...ha..."  
  
  
Papyrus' frown deepened. Not even ten minutes in and Sans was panting like he'd been at it for hours. He pulled back his attack and signaled for a break.  
  
  
Sans was grateful, and gave Papyrus a weak thumbs up as he braced his arms against his knees. Wow was he out of shape. Maybe Papyrus was right and he should eat a vegetable. Maybe even _two_ vegetables.  
  
  
"...You...do realize our posts are pretty far away from each other, don't you?" Papyrus took on a quieter, serious tone.  
  
  
'Time and space is relative,' Sans thought, but nodded in Papyrus direction.  
  
  
"I come check on you so often because I worry, Sans. What if something happens to you and I'm too far away to help? I need to know you're capable of holding your own- I'm not always going to be around to protect you."  
  
  
Sans perked up at that, forcing himself upright as Papyrus came to him, looking unsure and worried. Great.  
  
  
"Hey now, what’s this all about? Doesn't matter how tall ya get, lil bro, I'm still the big brother here." He beamed up at Papyrus, reaching a hand out to give his brother a friendly pat on the back.  
  
  
Papyrus snorted. "Age has nothing to do with it." He couldn't help but smile anyway. "...Though I think I'd make a pretty good older brother, if I do say so myself."  
  
  
"Heh. Anyway, I'm going tibia ok, so don't sweat the small stuff like that. Besides, the Great Papyrus has his own mission to fulfill, right? You gotta to focus on getting into the Royal Guard, and all that."  
  
  
Papyrus looked far from convinced. "Yes. Well. It would just help me rest easier knowing you'll be fine without me. I may be stationed elsewhere as part of the royal guard, you know.” He paused in thought, suddenly aware of the amount of time that had passed. So much for a quick break. “Hm. You've been oddly pushy about this whole ‘feeling’ thing, but being the great brother that I am I will humor you. In fact, I even have a compromise to make us both happy.’”  
  
  
Sans narrowed his eyes suspiciously.  
  
  
“If I tell you more about my gut feeling about the human, will you agree to more..precautionary measures?"  
  
  
“Pap...” he started, trying to avoid looking at those puppy eyes. Ugh, that wasn't fair.  
  
  
Papyrus raised his hands innocently. "Now I know you can hold your own against any monster, but you've heard how tricky humans can be. And you've just been so lethargic lately I feel like I would be the one more suited to face any threat. So here is my proposal: we switch sentry stations."  
  
  
"..." Sans just stared at Papyrus, at that earnest smile and the gleam in those dark eyes, trying his best not to sigh. If only Papyrus knew the half of it…  
  
  
"Well, if you're gonna twist my arm like that, you leave me no choice- if you're so bone-ly, how about we just sit there together? Two heads are better than one, after all, and no one can get through our bone-dries that way, huh."  
  
  
Papyrus scowled. "What? Sans, that's a ridiculous idea. We can't both be at your station- who'd be guarding mine? Look, I'll take over your station for the day and you can sit at mine. Undyne won't mind where we are as long as we're still on lookout."  
  
  
Sans nodded absentmindedly, stifling a yawn,“Ok, if that makes you happy, let’s switch then. Just… promise me, if you do find a human, you’ll call me right away. Can’t let ya have all the fun without me.”  
  
  
"It does! Someone needs to look after you! And I agree to your terms!”  
  
  
“I dunno, bro,” he lifted up part of his shirt to look at the ribs underneath, grinning at Papyrus as he said, “I think they’ll probably _look through me instead_ , hehe.”  
  
  
No one else in the entire universe could possibly know what this felt like. "SANS..."  
  
  
Papyrus turned on his heel, making a show of storming back toward their sentry stations.  
  
  
Sans laughed, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender and letting his shirt fall back down. Falling in step behind his brother, Sans looked up at his broad back. When had he gotten so big?  
  
  
“I think you’re a pretty good brother, older or younger. You _old_ -a be careful, though, all _sis_  worrying _kin_ be _bad_ for you!”  
  
  
Whatever brotherly affection Papyrus could have possibly derived from such a compliment disappeared in a long suffering groan.  
  
  
Well, not all affection. "You're a good brother too." Papyrus paused. "Even with all the puns."  
  
  
They lapsed into a comfortable (blissfully joke-free) silence for a while, Sans absentmindedly looking at the surrounding scenery, before he remembered his original line of inquiry.  
  
  
“Right, so, this feeling of yours…”  
  
  
"Hm? Oh, that! It completely slipped my mind." They lapsed into another silence as Papyrus thought long and hard on how to explain himself.  
  
  
"It's like a long lost memory." He decided at last. "Sometimes I'll have these...dreams...and just before I wake up I'll see flashes of things only to forget them within seconds."  
  
  
Sans listened to Papyrus quietly, feeling his smile slipping until it was an insecure frown as he tried to digest this new information.  
  
  
Papyrus hummed disappointedly. "It bothers me because I feel like it's really important, but...I just can't remember." He looked at the trees lined up on either side of them.  
  
  
Sans should've been ecstatic- to finally have a shred of evidence that countered the encroaching possibility that maybe he was just mad- but... well, what kind of life was this? Living between lives, never sure whether it was going to be heaven or hell or where the trail of dust started and ended, feeling powerless and hopeless.  
  
  
There were only a handful he would ever want to force this existence on- and Papyrus, with stars in his eyes and only the best intentions for everyone, wasn't one of them.  
  
  
"I remember the way they make me feel, though, along with this nagging feeling. Like this isn't the first important thing I can't remember..."  
  
  
Papyrus trailed off, discreetly looking behind him to gauge Sans' reaction. It all sounded crazy, but hopefully it was enough to appease his insatiable curiosity.  
  
  
"Well-" Sans started a little more insecurely than he wanted to, quickly clearing his throat. "Some things aren't worth remembering, ya know?"  
  
  
That came out a lot more loaded than he intended, and when he saw Papyrus glance back at him, he grinned back with that almost too-tight smile again.  
  
  
"Maybe I'm lazy, but sounds like you're going _bone_ kers, Pap." He hated sounding so dismissive after he had built his poor brother up so much, but... ugh, what the hell, this conversation wasn't gonna matter in the end anyway. He slouched into his hoodie, glaring through the trees at the wisps of a shadow that always lurked in the corner of his eyes, and he regretted ever opening this line of inquiry.  
  
  
"Crazy?! Hmph! See if I tell you anything again!" Papyrus huffed, playing along and feigning being insulted. But he was a lot more observant than given credit for, noting how his explanation seemed to strike a chord- he longed to ask if Sans had those nightmares too, but Sans always deflected those kinds of questions.  
  
  
But that didn't mean staying silent was the answer. If he had any lips, Papyrus would've had them pursed.  
  
  
The thick trees cleared too quickly, and Papyrus' make-shift post came into view. Sans was quick to put it between them, putting his hands in his pocket and looking at the grown sullenly.  
  
  
"Well, this is me," he started warily, not quite having the energy to make a decent pun at this point. " I'd say trust your gut, but seeing as we don't have any, just do what you usually do, I guess. Keep me posted, and take care of yourself, ok?"  
  
  
"Sans..." Papyrus hesitated. "I know you like to bottle things up because you think you need to be the tough older brother and do things all on your own, but I want you to know that whatever you're going through, I can help.” His tone turned serious. “Your happiness is very important to me."  
  
  
Dispelling the melancholic atmosphere with a grin, Papyrus posed dramatically. "There's no task Future Royal Guardsmen Papyrus can't handle!”  
  
  
“Huh,” Sans said eloquently, staring at him blankly like he was still trying to process what had been said to him.  
  
  
“And no problem I can't hug away, after all!"  
  
  
Papyrus scooped Sans up and squeezed him in a warm hug, willing whatever negativity plaguing his brother to _go away_. Sans instinctively put his hands on Papyrus’ shoulders to steady himself, feeling the warmth go all the way to his soul.  
  
  
He wasn’t sure if it was some sort of latent magic or just the sheer power of Papyrus’ good-natured determination, but he literally made the world a much happier place… and Sans a much happier skeleton.  
  
  
"Nyehehe! See, now that's a real smile! It's working already."  
  
  
"Yeah, you do give the best hugs in all of the Underground," Sans agreed without hesitation, nestling his face into the soft fabric of Papyrus’ scarf as he hugged his younger brother back.    
  
  
After the laughter died down Papyrus gave a little sigh, his hold tightening. "Just...please don't push me away."  
  
  
Papyrus' next few words sent a pang through his soul. "Pap..." What was he supposed to say? How could he explain RESETs? The anomaly? He was going off of educated guesses and faint memories himself!  
  
  
Sans pulled his brother into a fiercer hug, hiding his face in the broad chest in front of him to disguise the pinpricks in the corner of his eyes. It wasn't fair- every time he was on the brink of the abyss, Papyrus always brought him back just far enough that he couldn't give up completely.  
  
  
"I just... don't know what to do any more, Pap," he eventually confided into the quiet clearing, still unable to meet his brother's gaze. Nothing he had tried had worked and he was out of ideas.  
  
  
“Well,” Papyrus shifted his hold, practically able to hear the gears turning in his overly analytical brother’s head as he tried to sort his thoughts. “you _do_ tend to think too hard about things. Maybe you’re just looking at your problem from the wrong angle. But two skulls are better than one, maybe I can take a “crack” at it, eh?”  
  
  
Then he heard the crunch of snow in the distance breaking the stillness of the clearing, and Sans wearily tried to get a glance of who it was this time.  
  
  
“Ehh? You know, because you can crack your skull-”  
  
  
“What are you two goobers _doing_?”  
  
  
Papyrus nearly dropped Sans as Undyne’s voice boomed as loudly from behind him, helmet tucked under her arm and looking very unimpressed. He whirled around to face her, Sans still in his arms.  
  
  
“Undyne! Don't sneak up on us like that! I thought you were an intruder!” Papyrus breathed a sigh of relief as she noisily stomped her way over. “Which is weird, considering how loud your armor is...I must have really gotten caught up in the moment.”  
  
  
Sans let his posture slacken in relief. Whew, not who he thought it was. He tucked Papyrus’ surprisingly wise words in the back of his mind to mull over later, wondering what other angle he was missing- but he had long since learned spacing out around Undyne was a mistake.  
  
  
Undyne’s scary expression gave way to a smirk and boisterous laughter. “If I were an intruder, you'd both already be a couple of skewered piles of dust! You guys sure are lousy sentries!” Papyrus laughed along, even if he didn't find it particularly funny, wincing as she smacked his back. “But seriously, what are you doing?”  
  
  
Sans patted Papyrus’ shoulder affectionately as he grinned at Undyne, “Well, as you can _sea,_ Captain, we saw a brotherly-bonding oppor _-tuna_ -ty and _hook_ it.”  
  
  
It took her a second to process the joke before Undyne grinned sharply.“ _Spear_ me your recycled fish puns.” She howled with unnecessary loud laughter that could probably be heard throughout Snowdin. It was hard to tell if she was laughing at Sans or her own joke, but given how proud she looked it was probably the latter.    
  
  
Papyrus shot her a betrayed look. “Undyne don’t encourage him!”    
  
  
Undyne was wiping tears from her eyes by the time she got herself under control. “Anyway, I don't really care what shenanigans you two get up to. I just want you two to not be so darn oblivious! You're lucky it was just me and not some human.” She snorted. “What are you two doing hugging it out on the middle of the path anyway? You guys are so weird.”  
  
  
“Sometimes a skeleton just wants to express affection in a form that doesn't involve a painful suplex!” Papyrus averted his gaze as she snapped her head back to him. “You know. Gently.”  
  
  
Undyne leaned in close, jabbing a finger in Papyrus’ face. “Are you saying my suplexes are anything _but_ gentle?!”  
  
  
Papyrus eyes widened, sweating nervously as he recognized the familiar glint in her eye. “W-well, since that's the point of a supplex, yes-”  
  
  
“WHAT?! COME ON BESTIE, LET ME SHOW YOU HOW GENTLE I CAN BE!”  
  
  
Papyrus braced himself, clinging to Sans as Undyne threw her arms around them in a surprisingly painless group hug, helmet dropping to the snow. Sans gave a content chuckle, catching Undyne’s attention.  
  
  
“...Huh? What's up funny bones, you look kinda spaced out.”  
  
  
Sans smiled and deflected easily, “Just chilling. So what brings you to sunny, tropical Snowdin today? That bunny lady complain about the dogs again?”  
  
  
“Hm.” Undyne narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Sans, not so easily deterred. “Sans. You know that if there's someone I need to beat up for you, I can do that, right? Gotta take care of my underlings after all.” Patting both brother's skulls Undyne released them to scoop up her helmet.  
  
  
Sans felt another pang in his soul as he tried not to sigh. Why did bad things have to happen to good people like Undyne and Papyrus? “Appreciate it, boss,” he affirmed with a smile, giving Papyrus one last affectionate pat on the arm before hopping down from his brother’s arms.  
  
  
Papyrus smiled at the exchange before remembering Sans brought up a good question. “Yeah, why are you here? Who's guarding Waterfall?”  
  
  
“I'm checking up on you boneheads, obviously, but I'm not planning on sticking around.” Undyne’s expression turned troubled, looking toward the ruins. “I guess you could say I sensed something.”  
  
  
That certainly caught Papyrus’ attention. “Wowie, you too? Does it involve the inevitable arrival of a human? Mine was more of a dreamlike feeling, though also kind of déjà vu.”  
  
  
Undyne stared at Papyrus, studying his expression and subtly glancing at Sans.  
  
  
Sans stuffed his hands into his pockets, catching Undyne’s eye and nodding at her discreetly. No use trying to hide anything from Papyrus this time around- if Undyne didn't feel things were right, then it wasn't going to be a good day.  
  
  
“...Sort of. All I know is something doesn't feel right. Like something’s coming.” She clenched a fist dramatically. “I trust my gut well enough to know when something’s up.” She turned back to the skeletons brothers with a wicked grin. “So! Even though I can barely tolerate this frozen, miserable wasteland slightly more than Hotland I'll be glued to you _numbskulls_ until I figure out what it is!”  
  
  
“That's a little harsh Undyne, Snowdin is just like Waterfall but the water is frozen!”  
  
  
“Maybe to you lucky skinless bas- badapples, but it's pretty awful to me!’  
  
  
“Undyne I am not five! I know the word badass!”  
  
  
“You'll always be a dorky little dweeb to me, Papyrus!”  
  
  
“No! Don’t noogie the badass skeleton!!”  
  
  
Sans tuned out the rest of the friendly banter, eyes trained on the forest in front of him as he strained his ears for the sound of footsteps. It was so quiet- no sign of the canine Snowdin unit, so sensitive to any changes in their routine, and even Jerry hadn't made an appearance today.  
  
  
And then he heard it- the surprisingly loud sound of someone sloughing through the snow. Determined footsteps that weren't the least bit fazed by the harsh environment, loud and unguarded with all the confidence of someone on a mission.  
  
  
“By the pricking of my thumbs,” he began softly, eye flashing with quiet rage before darkening as the bushes ahead rustled and a small human barreled into the clearing.  
  
  
“Something wicked this way comes.” Sans finished, locking eyes with the human and feeling that grin tighten until it was almost painful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Shanks for the Nightmares
> 
> _“Sorry, boss, hope you don't mind if we cut outta here. Things are getting a little too dicey for my taste, and I already took a stab at it. It was a knife try, but anyway you slice it, couldn’t quite hack it.”_


	2. Shanks for the Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It is, in fact, not a knife day at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading our story! <3  
> We accidentally uploaded the first chapter too early, so Undyne got prematurely cut out- but we fixed that! So, please re-read Chapter 1 again if you read the Undyne-less version. 8D  
> Warnings at the end of the Chapter!

Humans were so strangely unassuming- short, cheeks red from the stinging cold, messy brown hair that looked like it had never been brushed, a too big sweater that reached beyond the tips of their fingers. Eh.

But their eyes had a cold look to them, predatory and dark, and Sans didn't miss the dusting of light powder in the front of their shirt… Or the tip of a toy knife peeking out from an oversized sleeve.

“Hiya kiddo,” Sans began with faux cheer, “Your Mama know you out so far away from home?”

If they had been surprised to see the three monsters ahead of them, Chara didn’t show it, their expression immediately darkening as they glowered at Sans.This wasn’t supposed to happen.

“Not a chatty-cathy, huh? Actions speak louder than words, I guess- not so sure what you’re saying is really worth listening to, though.”

“...” That comedian knew exactly what to say to rile them up and make them lose their focus- the bitter sting of their failure was still too fresh. Chara hadn’t managed to beat him last time. But they had the pie slice _now_.

Chara’s eyes flicked to Papyrus, squawking behind his brother in a headlock as Undyne laughed boisterously. They smiled and held the toy knife up so that it lined up with Papyrus’ skull, mimicking a slash.

“Alas, poor Papyrus!"

Sans stiffened and he wasn’t smiling very much anymore.

Undyne quickly looked up at the sound of a new voice, playful grin turning vicious as she released Papyrus from the noogie she trapped him in. She stood a little taller, a predator looking down at her prey.

“That was fast.” A magic spear phased into her hand, the butt digging into the snow aggressively. “Good. I hate waiting.”

Reeling from the knuckles that had been digging into his skull, Papyrus inched away from Undyne and followed everyone’s gazes. “Oh my god. Is that…?!” He looked to Sans, a sparkle in his eye.

Sans looked away, unable to make eye contact as he shrugged.

Papyrus carried on. “OH MY GOD! My first human! This is so exciting!!!” Papyrus could sense the aggression practically radiating off Undyne and Sans, but he paid it no mind. He had been waiting too long to meet a human to let his overprotective friend and brother ruin the mood. “Wowie! Looks like our hunch was right, Undyne!”

“Don't get your hopes too high, Pap,” Sans began carefully, grabbing a fistful of Papyrus' scarf as if afraid he would dash forward. “I think it's just pretending to be human.”

Papyrus gave his normally laid back brother a strange look, noting how he actually looked nervous. He still stepped forward but only slightly, noting the way his companions tensed even more. “Human! Not another step forward! I, The Great Papyrus, have prepared a variety of puzzles to stop and capture you! Which you'll have to do after a battle, I guess! You may be unfairly outnumbered but that's okay, we can work something out! Maybe we can do a turn based battle…”

Undyne tried very hard not to roll her eyes. Papyrus was actually thinking hard about how to make it a fair fight. “Pap. Did you conveniently forget the previous 500 times I've told you humans are DANGEROUS? Who cares if they're outnumbered! And anyway, I call dibs on this human.” She gently pushed him back and took an offensive stance. “They look like a little punk.”

“Of course I remember, but we’re talking about upholding tradition! What kind of monsters would we be if we didn’t greet our first human guest in ages with puzzles? Geez, what’s gotten into you two today?!”

Undyne grit her teeth and made a frustrated sound, “Tradition won’t mean anything if we’re all dust.” She muttered under her breath, fishing for an excuse as her voice took on a gentler tone. “Look Papyrus, you can make more puzzles for the human to do when the human’s...captured. To do in human jail.” A harmless little white lie. Luckily, Papyrus wasn't hard to please.

“Um. Okay? What kind of puzzles should I make? Should they be more compact and portable for inside the cell, or can they go outside to do them supervised?”

Chara’s hold on their knife tightened and they glowered at Undyne, trying to mask their growing unease with a relaxed smile. Why was Undyne here? They didn’t have a high enough LV to face her yet, and they hadn’t even managed to get any Cinabunnies or Snowman pieces. Even so, being ignored and talked over still found a way to irritate them, so they snapped a twig underfoot to get her attention again.

Undyne was similarly getting impatient, snapping her head back to the human at the sound. “Enough talking! Watch me kick some human butt.” With that she rushed forward, throwing her spear like a javelin before sending a barrage of magic spears raining down.

Chara plucked the spear Undyne had thrown where it landed in the snow after it nearly skewered them, knocking the spears away deftly and absolutely unfazed at how precariously close they were to getting damaged. They took a running dash at Undyne with blade poised at the ready as she prepared another barrage of spears.

“Um…” Papyrus’ bone ridges raised. “That looks a lot more like ‘kill’ rather than ‘capture.’ But I guess they are a human...Well, it’s Undyne. She knows what she's doing... Right?”

“Totally.”

Chara slid between Undyne’s legs, inflicting a cut to the warrior’s shin with the spear they had been given. Her heroism was, as always, admirable but exploitable. They used the momentum to carry them forward, towards the two brothers who were too stunned to react.

They took a running leap, face twisted into a manic smile as they slashed at Papyrus, “Don't you _dare_ pity me!”

Papyrus had never known the word fear. It was not fitting for a dashing, brave, aspiring royal guard- any fear could be conquered! His fear of the dark faltered to his nightlight, his fear of being left alone abated by the constant presence of his brother.

But as the human rushed at him, knife swinging down in a terrifying downward arc, Papyrus couldn't even remember how to breathe.

He closed his eyes hoping the pain would be quick-?!

Before Chara could react, a dizzying amount of gasterblasters seemed to have materialized in thin air, and they were forced back by the sheer strength of the staggered blasts. They skidded back almost into Undyne, glaring angrily at the shorter skeleton as their HP fell to a single digit.

That-! That-! _Smiley Trashbag!_

“Huh. It was a _knife_ try, but anyway you _slice_ it, couldn’t quite _hack_ it.”

“S-SANS?!” Papyrus was on his knees in an instant, steadying his swaying brother before he collapsed. “Are you okay? Sans! That was so incredibly reckless, I-”

Sans poked at the front of his shirt almost absentmindedly, watching red seep through the torn fabric before wincing. He crushed his hand against his wound as the adrenaline started to wear off, stumbling back into Papyrus’ arms.

“You’re...bleeding?”

Sans smiled up at Papyrus’ worried expression, giving a shrug that had him curling in on himself with a sharp, pained gasp. This wasn't looking too good.

“Tch.” Undyne leaned heavily on her spear, half her leg missing as it splintered away into dust. She sneered to hide her grimace of pain, worriedly glancing at Sans before remembering there was no time for distractions. Her expression darkened, mentally swearing vengeance as she glowered at Chara. “Cheap tactic, punk. But it's going to take a lot more than that to stop me.”

Chara took advantage of their distraction to cram several monster candies into their mouth, feeling re- invigorated and eyeing Undyne warily.

Through sheer willpower her leg reformed, along with a somehow even more intimidating set of armor. “I am Undyne the Undying and don't you forget it! You're not the only creature around here who can use their determination!”

Her magic spears multiplied and surrounded Chara, repeatedly closing in on them and giving Undyne enough time to wedge herself between the skeleton duo and Chara. “Papyrus you need to get out of here _now._ ”

Papyrus finally tore his gaze from his brother’s wound to look at Undyne, wondering when she had changed armor before he processed her order. “Wh-Undyne, you’re bleeding too!”

Undyne glanced down to realize her feet were already melting, scowling as she refocused and forced her body to stay together. She threw another spear to keep the human busy, though she was admittedly more focused on keeping Papyrus safe. “I’m fine! Grab your brother and get out of here while I hold them off, you need to evacuate the people of Snowdin and warn Alphys! Just- listen to me and go!”

Undyne hadn't aimed and the spear barely passed over their head, ruffling their hair with the force and singing the tips, but Chara didn't move. They frowned at Undyne, completely ignoring the skeletons and feeling the stirrings of… something. Someone? No, that was impossible.

Papyrus looked down at Sans and back to Undyne, the gravity of the situation sinking in as he took in the fresh layer of dust on the human’s knife and sweater. He shifted his hold on Sans to pick him up and made up his mind. “No.” He replied bluntly, unable to hide the doubt in his own voice as his voice took on a panicked tone. “I can’t just leave you here to fight that- that thing by yourself! I refuse! I can help you!” He fired off a few carefully aimed bones to prove his point.

Chara staggered against Papyrus’ unexpected bone attack, surprised by how much damage it had inflicted. Their HP had nearly been halved even after those candies.

“Unpredictable…” They muttered under their breath, tightening their hold on their toy blade- itching for the feel of a more reliable weapon. They were at a disadvantage- but they had finally gotten Sans, and Undyne couldn’t last as long in Snowdin, it seemed... Determination filled their soul with perverse confidence.

As if sensing Chara’s morbid glee, Undyne physically blocked Papyrus with her back and decided he was being too much of a distraction. “Sans! If you’re not a pile of dust over there, you need to get your stubborn brother out of here before he gets us all killed!”

“She’s right, Paps. Can’t fight seriously if you’re trying to protect someone,” Sans chuckled painfully, giving her a two-fingered salute. “Roger, boss. Don’t mind us, we’ll just cut outta here- things are getting a little too dicey for my taste anyway, and I already took a stab at it.”

“It doesn't matter,” Chara began firmly, getting into a fighting stance as they waited for Undyne’s turn to finish, eyes locking onto the newly reformed shin guards. “None of your attacks do. None of you do.”

Sans used the last of his magical reserves to open a shortcut, forcing Papyrus into it by head butting his brother and using the momentum to knock him into it.

As the world shifted Papyrus’ thoughts vacillated between It‘s a good thing I don't have a stomach and Oh god Sans. When things settled he was surprised to find it was neither their home nor Grillby’s.

What good did it do to teleport into a brightly lit, yellow hall he'd never seen before and Sans never mentioned? Papyrus felt irritation flare until Sans shifted.

“Aw, your battle costume... is all dirty now…Sorry, bro,” Sans was weakly rubbing at a spot on his battle body, reminding Papyrus of his condition.

“That's the least of our problems now, brother.” Papyrus cracked a weak smile, starting to walk forward with the hopes that it would take him somewhere useful. “Besides, I'll just wash it along with your jacket. I...um...can look online for ways to remove blood. Actually, is this blood? It looks an awful lot like ketchup…” Papyrus’ voice was fast and nervous with concern as he narrowed his eyes.

“Wait...Are you even hurt? Wasn't that a toy knife? I swear Sans, if this is some elaborate, cruel prank I'm going to drop you. And then I’m not going to talk to you for a while because you made me worry like that.” He decided not to mention Undyne’s similar, very real wound at the mercy of the same weapon.

“Papy, I wouldn't…. ever... pull….. that….on you,” he answered honestly, hoping Papyrus really wouldn't drop him because he was starting to feel so tired. It was getting harder and harder to keep his eyes open as everything around him started to blur together.

Seeing Sans so weak was genuinely starting to make Papyrus panic, breaking out into a sprint. “Sans? Sans keep talking. I'll look for some help- stay with me!”

“…. Pap…Just… Let things… Take their course…”

“Wh-what? What does that even mean? Don't start speaking in riddles!”

Desperate to help in some way Papyrus took off down the hall, doing his best not to jostle his brother as things suddenly became familiar. “Wait. This leads to the throne room. Of course! King Asgore can help!”

“Don't…. hero...…. Hurt you…” Well, this was his limit- he could feel his body start to splinter apart and turn to dust.

Skidding down the hall, Papyrus was desperate to find any sign of the tall monster. “YOUR MAJESTY! Your majesty are you here?! Please, we need help!!”

“Stay….. away....….please....”

When a familiar bulky, hairy figure came into view Papyrus could have cried from relief.

“We’re almost there! Help is on the way! You just need to hold on for a little longer bro-”

Papyrus looked down, grinning painfully with a desperation that left his heart racing so fast it hurt, taking in Sans weak smile. “Lo-” his brother started to say, before crumbling away into dust in his arms. He skid to a stop as his arms remained outstretched, cradling nothing but a dusty jacket.

“-ther?”

“Papyrus?”

The king finally turned around. Papyrus failed to notice, eyes transfixed to his arms as his legs gave out and dropped him to his knees. “...Sans? Wh...where…?” Papyrus looked up numbly as Asgore put a shocked paw to his mouth, running over. “Sans…?!” He helplessly offered the jacket, all other words trapped in his throat.

“Oh, Papyrus.” Asgore rumbled in his deep voice, tears brimming in his gentle eyes as he pulled the shorter skeleton into a hug. “I'm so, so sorry.”

The king’s clothes felt wet and it took Papyrus a moment to realize he was crying. “No! You need to help him! Call Dr. Alphys. Fix him!” Papyrus tried to push away the king, voice cracking. “You can't let my big brother die!”

Asgore’s hug tightened. “Papyrus...your brother has already turned to dust. There is nothing we can do. I'm sorry.”

All at once anger and grief sunk in like a punch to the face. Papyrus clung to Asgore, a strange emptiness in his heart and soul. Nothing felt real.

“I'm sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings:  
> Injuries. Character Death.
> 
> Next Chapter: Marco! 
> 
>  
> 
> _“I had your jacket and it was so dusty, Sans, it was dusty and you were gone and I was all alone. You can't leave me like that. I'm not strong enough- I'd sooner kill myself than try to live in a world without you in it.”_


	3. Marco!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans is ok! Papyrus... not so much! Good thing he's got a lil' buddy on his side, huh? Or maybe... not so little?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We dedicate this chapter to our magical reader and reviewer, EnterUnoriginalUsernameHere!  
> Sorry this chapter took us so long to get out! <3   
> I literally *just* finished my finals ahaha, and my sister finally reviewed this too!  
> Thank you all so much for your continued support! :D

Papyrus shot up in his race car bed with a gasp, sweating profusely as his eye lit up the room in bright orange. The sheets were clenched tightly in his bony fingers, bed in disarray from tossing and turning. It was all just a nightmare. 

He was on his feet in an instant, scrambling out of his room like it was on fire as he thundered down the hall to Sans’ room. The emotional trauma of his too realistic dream drained from his taught bones as he watched his healthy, whole, safe brother sleep. 

Sans murmured something and frowned, as though registering the outburst of nervous, raw energy in his sleep, turning toward the door in bleary consciousness.

“Mmhe?” he repeated sleepily.    
  
That was enough for him. Papyrus flopped onto the mattress like he used to do as a child, hugging Sans tightly while his body shook with poorly contained sobs. Somehow, this felt more like the dream than the horrible nightmare he awoke from.

Sans let out a noise of alarm, clearly not entirely awake, attempting to pull away- oh, wait. The adrenaline quickly shook off any lingering drowsiness, and he- he was in his room, in his bed, with... Papyrus. He gently patted the arms coiled around him as Papyrus buried his face in his shoulder. Nightmare, huh?   
  
“D-Don't ever die on me, Sans.” 

Sans’ panic returned full-fledged when he realized that Papyrus was not only crying like his world was ending, but that  _ that _ magic had been activated. The weird one in their eyes that only ever happened when they felt the rawest, deepest emotions. His brother didn’t have as tight control on that part of their shared magic, and Sans quickly sat up, pulling his brother’s head against his chest like when his brother was a child. 

“Pappy, Paps, Papster, Pap-” he started gently, using every nickname he could think of as he moved one arm in soothing circles on his brother’s back, using the other to nervously brush tears away from the still glowing orange eye. Was this a nightmare? It seemed a lot worse than a nightmare. He quickly looked his brother over for any sign of injury, one hand even brushing against the back of his neck, but Sans couldn’t see anything that seemed off.

“What’s wrong, baby bro?”   
  
A bloody smile, a jacket without an owner. Every time Papyrus closed his eyes he felt his soul shatter, grieving a brother he could not save. Too real to be dismissed as a dream. He could do nothing but remain curled up against Sans and try to stop crying. 

“Bad dream?” Sans asked gently. “Does it hurt somewhere? Wha- What do you need me to do?”  
  
Sans voice finally broke through his grief-ridden haze, reminding Papyrus of his rash, instinctual decision to barrel into his brother’s room in the middle of the night. He had vaguely noticed the rapid heartbeat matching his own, a fresh wave of guilt bringing on more tears. 

“I'm sorry.” Words started spilling out of his mouth in a hysterical fervor faster than Papyrus could think. “You just- there was a human, and they hurt you, and you and Undyne- oh god,  _ Undyne-  _ tried to fight them and you, you took the hit! For me! How could you! Undyne made us leave and I was trying so hard to get you help, but it didn’t feel real so I didn’t move fast enough and I was carrying you and you turned to dust right in my arms and there was nothing I could do! I had your jacket and it was so dusty, Sans, it was dusty and you were gone and I was all alone. You can't leave me like that. I'm not strong enough- I'd sooner kill myself than try to live in a world without you in it.”    
  
Papyrus snapped his jaw shut. He didn't really mean that, did he?  _ Yes, _ his broken heart wailed for him,  _ without Sans what's the point of anything? No one else loves you.  _   
  
For a moment, Sans couldn’t breathe- his brain shut down, his hands stopped moving, his smile dropped into a frown. All he could do was stare with wide eyes that didn’t see anything.

There was no way... He must have misunderstood. There was no way Papyrus- always energetic and cheerful, giving the most trivial of tasks his all, unending optimism in even the most dire circumstances- would ever say something like that. His mouth felt so dry he couldn’t even swallow the lump that was forming in his throat.

Papyrus recovered first, hurriedly detaching himself from Sans. “I need- I need to go. Calm down. My magic is unstable and I don't want to hurt you.” The magic in his eye flickered erratically despite his desire to stay.  

Sans didn't react, too caught up in his own thoughts as he just stared. What was that supposed to mean? He had built his whole world around Papyrus and Papyrus’ happiness, and... Papyrus was going to conquer worlds and galaxies with his sheer will and confidence, earning everyone’s appreciation and affection by just being himself and… and… 

Papyrus couldn't meet Sans gaze, back pedalling towards the door though it killed him to do so. “I'm sorry. Go back to sleep. I'll, um, be back later. I'm sorry.”    
Sans finally remembered to breathe, taking in a deep, labored breath as he tried to get his hands to stop shaking and his heart to stop racing. Before he could say anything,  Papyrus bolted out the door.

Papyrus needed him. Sans took another deep breath, forcing himself to calm himself down. He could wallow in self-guilt and hatred later. Where the hell was this even coming from? 

Sans threw the covers off and dashed to the window, throwing it open and leaning out on the snow covered sill as he heard the door slam shut. 

“Papyrus!” he called out, but his brother, clad only in his pajamas, just seemed to run faster, disappearing into the woods surrounding Snowdin.

Sans swore, jamming his feet into his slippers and hurrying down the stairs, grabbing Papyrus’ scarf as an afterthought as he hurried after the frantic, messy footprints outside. 

“Papyrus, wait!”

When he was far away enough from the house Papyrus rubbed his face miserably and leaned against the tree closest to his makeshift post. He was terrible. Awful. The worst. What kind of brother barrelled into their brother’s room, freaked them out, and ran away?  _ What kind of younger brother would let their big brother die?  _ __   
  
His eye was _still_ glowing but the tears had finally stopped, magic still spiking sporadically and he knew it was just a matter of time before-   
  
Right on cue, he watched a gasterblaster materialize from the shadows out of the corner of his eye. “Ugh. Shoo, go away. I didn't call you.” Exhausted physically and emotionally, he decided it wasn't worth the effort trying to dispel it. It never listened anyway. At least Sans was out of harm’s way, but now he was alone with this stupid creature and his thoughts and the hurt and everything was just progressively getting worse.    
  
“Golly, it's kind of late for a stroll don't you think?”    
  
Papyrus jumped as his gasterblaster mowed down a section of the forest. He'd be furious if he wasn't so tired, glaring silently at the creature before his gaze turned to a terrified Flowey. “Oh, hi Flowery. Sorry. This...thing...has a mind of its own.” The gasterblaster, hovering nearby in a clear act of concern, huffed indignantly. “You should probably stay away from me for the moment.”   
  
Flowey’s smile stretched so wide across the bud it almost didn't fit. “Stay away? Papyrus that was  __ incredible . I always wondered if you had the same magic as your brother, but that was...wow. More powerful, even! You're always so full of surprises Papyrus.” He crooned, popping up a few feet away.    
  
“Its awful. I hate it.” Papyrus sniffed. “And anyway, it doesn't matter because I can't control it. I can't control anything.”     
  
Flowey scoffed. “What? Papyrus, there’s no monster in the Underground with a better control of their magic than you. You're always so careful and precise, even a long time friend like myself never guessed you were hiding away such incredible power.” His eyes glinted as he moved closer.   
  
Sans heard the the tell tale sound of a blaster in the distance, picking up the pace before slowing down just around the corner where his brother was undoubtedly hiding. He hesitated, fiddling with the scarf as he tried to figure out the best course of action. Direct confrontation, when Papyrus was obviously frazzled and not in control of his magic might set off another blast of magic, and who knew what sort of collateral damage that would do- ok, ok, more subtle, then.   


“Tell me what's wrong, Papyrus. Tell your good friend Flowey what made you lose control. You know I'm always willing to help.” Flowey offered his best encouraging smile, going so far as to lean his bud against Papyrus’ leg. Papyrus craved comfort through physical contact, as much as it made Flowey gag internally, and he knew Papyrus would be more willing to talk if he felt comforted.    
  
“Maybe,” He glanced at the gasterblaster as Papyrus remained oddly quiet. “I might even be able to realize your potential into something...useful.”

“MARCO!”

Flowey, in a rare moment of carelessness, whirled in the direction of Sans voice with an expression of pure fury. That stupid skeleton always ruined everything, especially when he was on the verge of discovering a potentially game changing piece of knowledge- remembering Papyrus, Flowey hurriedly swiveled back to him.   
  
“Marco!” Sans called out again, forcing himself to stand up and edge a little closer to the new clearing until he could see Papyrus’ silhouette in the distance.He thought he saw a smaller shadow near Papyrus’ feet, but he was more preoccupied with the large skull hovering to the side. 

Papyrus’ eyes widened with dread. He seemed frozen, paralyzed by the consequences of one wrong step as the gasterblaster moved its eyelights towards Sans’ direction. 

“C’mon, Pap, you’re supposed to say Polo! It’s not that much fun to play by yourself! ”He shouldn’t have been surprised that Papyrus didn’t react, but he still couldn’t help a defeated sigh. He should be ashamed that this was the best plan he could come up with, but- God dammit!   
  
“Don't forget, Papyrus!” Flowey hissed over Sans’ concerned calls. “I can help!” With that he disappeared into the ground.

“Ok, well, you don’t gotta talk, then- just listen, ok?”   


Papyrus pulled his legs to his chest and looked aside guiltily, silently hoping his refusal to answer would make Sans give up.

Sans faltered as he saw his brother curl into himself. Now what was he supposed to say? He wasn’t even sure what the hell was wrong… Well, whatever, his little brother always encouraged him to speak from the heart and stop hiding behind jokes, so that was what he was going to do.

“C’mon, Papy, what are you even doing? What good is freezing in the middle of the night with a bunch of trees gonna do?”

Agh, he didn’t mean to make it sound so dismissive- fuck, this was why he used jokes constantly, he was terrible at this. He forced the frustration out of his voice, clearing his throat as he continued, “It’ll be okay, Paps- just come back, and we’ll figure something out together, yeah? Two skulls are better than one, and there isn’t anyone else who knows more about our big ol’ mutual friend there than me. I know you got my back if blaster mcblasty there gets a little too excited, so let me help you.”

Papyrus looked aside to the gasterblaster beside him, laying in the destroyed wreckage it had caused, staring unblinkingly at him. It seemed to be saying, ‘what are you waiting for?’

“‘Cause that’s what we do, right? Brothers look after each other, anytime and anyplace. I know I let you down sometimes, but I don’t want you to think that I won’t be there for you when you need me.”  
  
Sans felt absolutely exhausted, voicing aloud the raw, deep truth that haunted his reality and dreams, “Take it from me, Papyrus, it’s better to focus on the time you have with the brother you have now... than worry about a potential future with a pile of dust. I’m here, now. You’re here, now. I dunno what’s gonna happen tomorrow, but let’s focus on the right now. We got each other right now, yeah?”

The silence seemed to stretch endlessly as Papyrus stared hard at the snow in front of him, listening as Sans’ voice grew strained. 

“I love you, bro- don’t shut me out… please.”  
  
Then, so quietly it was practically inaudible, a voice whispered a reply.    
  
“...Polo.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Knock Knock! 
> 
> _“You’re not being silly at all, Paps- actually, that’s some really subtle... uh, 'events' you’ve tapped into. Most monsters don’t notice that. ...At any points in their lives. I’m… impressed.” That wasn’t the word he was looking for at all, but ‘horrified’ and ‘sorry’ didn’t seem like very apt choices either._


	4. Knock Knock!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> That’s not much of a punchline, Sans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading our story! <3

Sans had never, ever wanted to run before in his life- and here he was, trying not to make a mad dash to where his brother was sitting in the snow.  
  
  
It was quiet- so quiet, if he hadn’t been close enough to see the mouth move and the click of his jaw closing, Sans might not have heard Papyrus’ answer. But he saw it. He tried to focus on that as helplessness and concern gnawed at his soul as he slowly stepped onto the snow-covered path.   
  
  
“I’m coming over now, ok?”  
  
  
Papyrus needed only hear Sans approaching footsteps before he tensed, the gasterblaster following suit by bristling. It was like a giant, violent mood ring- a very dangerous and broken mood ring.  _It’s just Sans._ He tried to remind the gasterblaster with a glare.   
  
  
Sans was comforting, familiar, reassuring. He could chase away any fear, answer any problem, and was the most huggable monster in the Underground. He was the best big brother anyone could ask for. He tried to mentally convince the blaster of this, that the fear wasn't from being in any danger, but the blaster didn’t react. Why would it? It only needed to sense an emotion to act on it, terrifying Papyrus that his too fragile brother was one wrong move away from being a pile of dust.    
  
  
Sans, for his part, tried to sober his expectations as he slipped on a casual smile and started walking in his brother’s direction, keeping eye contact with the blaster as he stopped a few feet in front of Papyrus.  
  
  
“Ah, here’s a face I haven’t seen in awhile. Hi Patches, old girl, you’ve gotten bigger,” Sans spoke amicably, holding his hand out as ‘Patches’ eyes remained locked on him. Papyrus released a sound of protest as his blaster made a move towards Sans, staring it down and trying to resist the urge to tackle his brother, not daring to take his eyes off it for a second-  
  
  
“Here,” Sans held Papyrus’ red scarf out behind him so as not to give the blaster his back, patiently waiting for Papyrus’ to take it. “Bundle up- don’t want you catching a cold.”  
  
  
Papyrus instinctively looked down at it. Surprisingly, the orange glow in his eye softened and the blaster relaxed as he slowly reached out to grab it, obediently wrapping it around his neck. It felt misplaced without the rest of his battle body, but he wasn't really worthy enough of a warrior to be wearing it right now anyway.When he looked up again, his blaster was right in front of Sans, basking in the attention Papyrus refused to give it. Patches seemed delighted, bumping its nose against Sans’ hand as he scratched at its muzzle the same way he would pet the dogs.  


  
Papyrus sighed heavily. If he could relinquish ownership to Sans he'd do so in a heartbeat. He might even feel guilty for neglecting the creature if it wasn't such a menace, especially since the last time he accidentally summoned it...

  
“Happy thoughts, Pap,” Sans gave him a wink, rubbing soothing circles on the spot between Patches eyes after she tensed. Papyrus stiffened and looked guilty, trying to force himself to relax in a way that made him even more uncomfortable. The blaster, ever sensitive to his mood, let out a low growl as its eyelights disappeared.    


  
“Plan B then- matchy matchy.”

  
Sans took a slow, deliberate step back, closing his eyes as he focused his intent and magic. When he opened his eyes again a moment later, the right one was lit a bright yellow with cyan magic speckled throughout. He called on his own favorite blaster, Borborygmus- half of Patches’ size, but fast enough to do the work of two blasters, and absolutely vicious in a fight.    


  
She immediately bristled, hollow eyes looking wildly around her as she gnashed her teeth in obvious warning.   


  
“Not that kind of day,” Sans murmured, running one hand along her eyeridge and using the other to gently close her mouth. Borborygmus glanced at him, before focusing on the larger blaster in front of him. He pushed her forward gently, “Go make friends, Big B.”

  
“You always make it look so easy,” Papyrus smiled ruefully, rubbing at his cheeks, “And it took you so little effort to master. It's not fair.”

  
“Would you believe I had the opposite problem?” Sans kept his voice light, but kept his eyes sharply focused on Borborygmus and Patches. So far, all they had done was stare at each other with that hollow expression, mouths clamped tightly shut. “I had the toughest time getting them to show up- never thought there’d be anything lazier than me around here. And when I did get ‘em to show up to work on time, getting them to stay for longer than 30 seconds was impossible.”  
  


He wasn’t sure if this was actually a good idea- while he was confident in his abilities controlling his own blaster, Patches was always a wildcard. He didn’t have the same rapport with her like he did his other blasters, and he wasn’t sure if they actually got along… wherever blasters shuffled off to when they weren’t needed.   
  


“You’re a natural, Pap.”  
  
  
Borborygmus opened its mouth wide in the approximation of a smile, and Patches seemed thrilled with the company. They continued to stare at each other, but they were growling at each other. Could they communicate?   
  


“I…”   
  


Concerns for another day. Sans quickly took a seat next to Papyrus, pointing at his own still activated eye and commenting cheerfully, “ _ Eye  _ think we’re the same!”   
  


Despite himself, Papyrus smiled. A small, weak smile that paled in comparison to his usual beaming grins, but the first one he managed to muster since his nightmare. It quickly dropped.  Sans smile faded into a more sober expression, leaning against the nearby tree to look up at the dark cavern above pensively. Tentatively, he shuffled a little closer, putting his hand over his brother’s and giving a gentle squeeze.   


  
“Is your eye hurting you?” Sans asked quietly, looking carefully for any sign of discomfort. “This magic is kinda… weird.”   


  
Shifting his hand around, Papyrus returned the squeeze. “My eye does hurt a bit,” he admitted, free hand grazing his orange eye. “It feels like my magic is trying to come out all at once, like a faucet I can't turn off.”    


  
“Yeah, that’s the perfect metaphor,” Sans sighed as he made a face, “Wish I could tell you it gets more comfortable. But it does become annoying background noise after a while.”   


  
Before they lapsed into silence, Sans asked in that gentle, soothing tone Papyrus had come to recognize as his worried big brother voice,  “You want to talk about it?”  
  
  
Papyrus focused on his blaster, absently worrying at the edge of his socket. The magic was an irritating, somewhat concerning side effect... but not the primary issue. He wasn't quite ready to revisit his nightmare yet, not when he wasn't sure he could keep enough control over his emotions for his magic not to spike. 

  
Sans mistook his silence and his voice became a little more frantic, “Hey, if you don’t feel up to it right now, that’s okay too. I can talk instead.”

  
Sans immediately hung his head as he stared at his slippers, resisting the urge to bang his head against the tree behind him. That was a stupid thing to offer, when he had no idea what he should be talking about. He told Papyrus he wanted to be more open with him, but he didn’t want to add onto already horrendous fears with his own.   “Or we can just sit in silence, that’s cool too,” Sans hesitated before clearing his throat, “I can even go get Undyne, if it’s something that... you know, you can’t talk to  _ me _ about.”  
  
  
Sans gave the fingers he was still holding another squeeze, “Just… let me know what you need, Papy, and I’ll do it. I don’t want you to feel like you need to go through anything by yourself.”   


  
After a long suffering sigh, Papyrus looked away from his blaster to focus on Sans. “Undyne wouldn't understand.” He was tempted to say Sans wouldn't understand either, but he would. Deep down Papyrus knew he would. “There's a lot we need to talk about anyway.”    


  
Sans nodded, waiting for his brother to say something. When the silence stretched for a little too long, he drummed his fingers under his lit socket. “Think of this magic as a door,” he began carefully, “This big, old rickety door that’s so weathered and old, you can never just easily open it even with the stupid key. On cold days you need to sort of lift it as you turn the handle, and push against the bottom or it’ll stay stuck on the corner. On warm days you need to push it down a little bit and push against the middle to loosen the top so it’ll open.” Did that make any sense? Maybe that was a bad example, but Papyrus had his eyes closed as if he was trying to visualize the metaphor.  
  
  
“If you’re familiar with the door and know how finicky it can be, then opening and closing it is a breeze. Sometimes, you get lucky and it opens easily. Unfortunately, closing it is a headache and a half. You gotta figure out this door’s trick.”  
  
  
Sans always had a way of explaining things in a way Papyrus understood. He could see it now in his mind’s eye, his magic represented by a closed door with wisps of orange trying to claw their way out.

  
“How do I do that?” Papyrus frowned as he opened his eyes, gaze lingering on Patches, “I don’t feel like I’m the one with the key.”   
  
  
Sans smiled sardonically as he gently drummed his fingers against his cheek, deep in thought. He wasn’t sure how to help his brother out of this dilemma- Papyrus’ magic acted on strong emotions, so in theory it would help if he calmed down. But magic was rarely ever _that_ straightforward and predictable. And _that_ magic… that magic belonged, and ultimately responded, to a different master altogether.  
  
  
“It’s complicated. Nevermind. How about-” Sans started to backpedal, trying to figure out how to explain it properly. He shook his head- Papyrus wasn’t a kid anymore, as difficult as it was to remember that sometimes, and he did just promise to be more honest so… no sugar coating things.  
  
  
“It’s ‘cause we _don’t_ have the key. This isn’t… our magic, bud, and those blasters aren’t exactly ours. Well, they’re a little more yours than mine, but ask me about that one later. Anyway, this door leads to a place with powerful magic, and since the door is such a pain, it doesn’t get many… visitors. So, when it, uh, senses an opening, it gets a little... excited.”  


  
Sans gave a bemused smile when Papyrus gave Patches a distasteful glance, continuing with a shrug, “She means well- she’s just… worried. You’ve only come knocking at this door in times of absolute crisis, so the magic ‘n blaster automatically go into ‘Protect Pap At All Costs’ mode. Uh, anyway, point is- and honest to Angel and Asgore, I ain’t trying to scare you- it’s kinda… sentient. You probably figured that out though.”  
  
  
Papyrus closed his eyes once more. The door in his mind’s eye shifted, opening ever so slightly as a result of his emotional turmoil. Now that this magic had found some freedom, shoving it back in was nigh impossible. “How do I close it?” he asked, eyes still closed as he tried to calm his racing mind, “How do you close your weird, not-yours, kinda sentient mental magic door?”  
  
  
Sans went quiet- it was so much trial and error, he couldn’t remember what had worked in the end. It was instinctual by now. How could you explain magical muscle memory? “You… try pushing against it.”  
  
  
He turned to give Sans a dubious look, gingerly holding his arms up against the metaphorical door.  
  
  
“Not literally- well, that might not hurt though- look, it’s strongest in your eye, right? It feels different there, like it doesn’t belong? Focus on what feels ‘off’ and try to close that off from you.”  
  
  
Papyrus still wasn’t sure what that meant, but he obediently closed his eyes and focused on the foreign sensation in his eye. He pushed back, feeling like he was pushing against a wall, until something weird caught his ear. A mesh of intelligible whispers that became quieter and quieter as  one voice spoke up, speaking in a foreign tongue Papyrus somehow understood.   
  
  
P a p y r u s . . .  
  
  
His eyes snapped open with a gasp, cringing as his blaster reacted accordingly. Concentrated, dangerous beam of pure magic accordingly. Patches had the decency to face away from the brothers and fellow blaster, but it was starting to run low on trees.  
  
  
“Stop that!” Papyrus snapped with more venom than he intended, continuing a little less sharply, “You're going to wake everyone up.”    
  
  
Sans was up in an instant, motioning at his blaster to stand down as he forced himself to lower his defenses. Borborygmus bristled, clearly still startled, and snarled something at Patches before lying back down in the snow. She continued to growl softly, but seemed otherwise pacified- Patches seemed insulted and upset, but settled in the snow next to Borborygmus with mutinous growls in turn. Sans sighed as he surveyed the newly cleared area, running a hand down his skull. Well, Papyrus had done _something_.  
  
  
“Welp, that didn’t work so well. A great try though, buddy. Let’s try the opposite now, yeah? Try to-”  
  
  
Papyrus had his legs pulled up to his chest, face hidden in his knees as he audibly shook. Sans was on this knees in an instant, rubbing soothing circles on his brother’s back as he tried to coax him into looking up.  
  
  
“Heeeey, no biggie, Pap! I didn’t master this stuff in a day either, and at least no one got hurt, right? Even if that woke some folks up or whatever, it’s nothing new. Remember that full moon situation a few months ago? How some giant stalactite broke off and revealed this huge crystal in the ceiling? The dogs were going crazy, howling like the world was ending at the ‘full moon,’ and everyone was freaking out trying to figure out what was going on-”  
  
  
Papyrus wasn’t really listening. That voice sounded eerily familiar. The feeling was too reminiscent of his nightmare, and the negative emotions of that whole ordeal… Why now? Why this? Nothing made any sense.  
  
  
“It just makes life excitin’! Variety is the spice of life, so any bit we can get down here is great. And, uh- You just made a new path to travel on, real scenic! So, um, there's even some good coming out of it-”  
  
  
Papyrus looked up at Sans, “The door can talk.” Another shiver ran down his spine. “Why is it sentient? Regular monster magic doesn't work that way- it's tied to the soul, isn't it? Not our eyes…?”  
  
  
“What do you mean it talks? Did it… say anything to you…?” Sans worried at his neck, feeling a maddening sense of forgetting something incredibly important. That was special, somehow- it didn’t happen all the time? Some values or stars or whatever had to align for… what? Why was that significant?  
  
  
Papyrus could tell from Sans expression this probably wasn't an answer he wanted to hear. That was fine. There were bigger problems at the moment.  
  
  
“There has to be another way!”  
  
  
“Wait, back to this door thing- it spoke? Like, actual-”  
  
  
“We don’t have time for this, Sans! The forest is only so big, and the next time it could hurt a wandering Gyftrot or someone else! It’s a menace!”  
  
  
“Ok, ok, calm down, Pap. Getting upset isn’t gonna make anything better. Your frustration is like banging on that door, and that magic comes running to answer, okay? I need you to try to focus your mind, feel _your_ magic and _your_ emotions and relax. What’s got you so worked up, lil’ bro?”  
  
  
“Oh, no, I-” _Not that._  
  
  
“Is it the nightmare? Where I died? Hey, I’m here, flesh and bone- _sans_ flesh. Just a bad dream, Papster- I’m right here and a-ok.”  
  
  
Oh, not that way. Papyrus averted his gaze, shifting uncomfortably and staying quiet for a while. Now or never. “What I experienced...wasn't a dream. Seeing you turn to nothing in my arms, realizing I would never see you again, the feelings of hatred and vengeance toward the one responsible…It was very, very real.”   
  
  
He took a shaky breath. “Somewhere out there, there's a Papyrus who's fallen completely to despair. A Papyrus who lost the ability to hope and believe in people. I...I don't want that to be me.”   
  
  
He didn't realize until he spoke up about it that was exactly who he was becoming. "But I _am_ Papyrus. Those feelings are as much mine as they were...um...his? It all sounds pretty silly, but I promise it makes sense." Another pause.  
  
  
"So...I guess I just have to feel more like myself! Because I'm not that Papyrus!" Papyrus forced a smile and sat up. "I am The Great Papyrus! I cook spaghetti for my friends because it makes them happy! I know my Sans is alive and well, even though I watched you die!"  
  
  
Sans looked at Papyrus, very carefully, taking in the tired hollows under his eyes and the strain that smile left on his face, especially apparent now that he couldn’t seem to hold a smile. Heh, why was it no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t do right by his brother? He was letting him down even in the dreamworld.  
  


"Everything is fine!”  
  
  
That sounded pathetic, even to his own ears. And Papyrus didn’t even have any. He sighed. "Ugh...this isn't working. I'll just have to wait for it to fade on its own. I’m sure-"  
  
  
“Alternate timelines.”  
  
  
Sans repressed his self-loathing, giving his brother a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “You’re not being silly at all, Paps- actually, that’s some really subtle events you’ve tapped into that most people don’t notice at... any points in their lives. I’m… impressed.” That wasn’t the word he was looking for at all, but ‘horrified’ and ‘sorry’ didn’t seem like very apt choices either.  
  
  
“This is, uh, kinda complicated. But it’s important. So, pay attention and ask questions, ok?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting kinda long, soooo we split it into two!   
> Just one more chapter of them having a heart to heart in the middle of a snowy forest in the dead of night, you know, like sensible people.  
> This chapter also has some of our headcanons vaguely reference- we're going to try and elaborate a little down the line! I bet you can hand-zard a guess about who's magic this is. ;D
> 
> _Next Time:Schrödinger’s Timeline_
> 
> _“Then… that means that really wasn’t a vivid nightmare, after all,” Papyrus said softly, looking down at his hands as he instinctively burrowed into his scarf. “You really… I couldn’t…”_


	5. Schrödinger’s Timeline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans ACTUALLY explains something, in surprising detail with increasingly convoluted metaphors. They finally leave the forest with 1 problem gone, only for two to take its place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no update! Thank you for your continued patience and readership! :D Extra long this time!

Sans had no idea where to even _begin_. He just started talking.  
  
  
“Maybe you’ve heard of parallel universes or an alternate reality? I’m sure I used to tell you about them when I was working at-” he stopped himself quickly as his expression turned pained for a moment, recalling a far off time and place that was beyond even the realm of his dreams now. He shook his head and it faded from his memory quickly enough, although he still had to concentrate on neutralizing his expression, “I mean, my Sci-fi stuff, ya know? Uh… Hang on, I lost my train of thought…”  
  
  
Sans buried his face in his hands for a moment, closing his eyes as he tried to sort his thoughts, “So, this is all part of the multiverse theory,which is really, really complicated and has a lot of layers. I’m gonna give you the simple version, but I can go more in-depth if you’ve got any questions, ok?”  
  
  
Papyrus nodded.  
  
  
Sans used his finger to draw a little cylinders in the snow, “Let’s say you want to make some spaghetti right now, but you only have one can of tomatoes. You’re torn between making bolognese, and that new one you’ve been doing, Am-something?”  
  
  
“Amatriciana? You can just call it Sugo, too.”  
  
  
“Yeah, Sugo. So, which one do you pick?”  
  
  
Papyrus tapped at his chin thoughtfully, “A difficult decision… I’d try to make them both! Just combine the other ingredients to get a doubly delicious pasta sauce!”  
  
  
Sans didn’t seem the least bit surprised that Papyrus would combine the two and complicate his example, continuing without missing a beat, “Right, that’s one way to do it. So _you_ , Papyrus, in this exact moment and universe, went with mixing them and created a Sugo-Bolognese hybrid.  But you could have easily just made the bolognese, right? Or maybe just the Sugo. So, at this important decision juncture you faced, you had a choice of three different sauces at this specific point in time and space.”  
  
  
Sans drew three little arrows pointing away from the can, “That means there were three possible outcomes, and only one of them happened, right?”  
  
  
“...Yes? No? Maybe?”  
  
  
“Exactly! According to multiverse theory, there are two parallel universes that exist where you went with a different option and had a different outcome.The Papyrus that went with just the Bolognese is you, and the Papyrus that just went with the Sugo is also you.”  
  
  
“I thought I was the Amatriciana-Bolognese mixture Papyrus.”  
  
  
“You are! You're just the other ones too, you're all of them at once. Well, you all have the same memories and motivations leading you up to that point, right? You all dragged me out of bed in the morning, scolded me for falling asleep in my coffee, and went out to calibrate your puzzles. It’s only now at this decision juncture that you end up becoming different Papyruses, as a result of _this_ choice. Bolognese-Papyrus is different from Sugo-Papyrus, and both are different from Sugo-Bolognese Papyrus. Even if these differences are very, very slight, pretty much negligible, they’re there.  
  
  
“There’s some debate as to how far this thing goes, since some of these choices seem pretty inconsequential- but I’ve always thought they were important, no matter how small. Every single action has an impact, so there is an alternate timeline or reality, or whatever, that exists for literally every decision you make and whatever circumstances result.”    
  
  
Papyrus nodded slowly, “I think I do remember you trying to explain this to me before. There’s also an alpha timeline, right? A main timeline the other timelines branch off of. Is that us? How do you know we’re not the timeline where I picked the bolognese sauce, even though the Amatriciana-Bolognese hybrid is the obvious choice?”  
  
  
Suddenly, Papyrus was reminded why Sans was the scientist of the family. Science was all a big, cool puzzle! But a puzzle with no solution. The uncertainty and lack of solid solutions to anything were always enough to keep Papyrus far away from it.  
  
  
“Excellent question! The answer is: we have no idea. Are we in for a bad time today? A good time? An okay time? No idea! It’s incredibly frustrating-”  
  
  
“Why does this bother you so much? Don’t you always have a _naptime_? Nyehehe...”  
  
  
Sans chuckled, smiling fondly, “You got me there, Paps. Sorry, was I getting too rambly? I can, uh, stop.”  
  
  
Sans realized he could have probably condensed this explanation by... a lot. Once he got started it was so hard to stop- this was one of the most defining aspect of his life! It was still exciting to explore the possibilities, he couldn’t just forget- forget that it could only bring pain and misery and suffering  
  
  
“No, no, please go on!  I am listening attentively! Soaking up your pearls of wisdom and theory to form my own answers!”  
  
  
Sans cleared his throat, more somber and restrained, “Anyway. Normally, you’d never be aware of these alternate possibilities and timelines, because although they exist in the same space and time, they are separate. The chances they would interact on their own is infinitely small, which is why most monsters have no sense of these things. Sometimes you can feel it, but most people don’t have the slightest idea. We tend to call it ‘Deja Vu,’ but nah. It’s an alternate timeline crossing into this timeline and creating a weird overlap. It feels like you’ve been here before, facing this same decision again, but it’s actually just you becoming aware of your other self.  
  
  
“It’s usually a split-second thing, and it’s so jarring you just focus on locating yourself- but if you know what you’re looking for and concentrate… Well, you can catch a glimpse  into a different time and places that could have been… and is, while at the same time it isn’t. Like Schrodinger’s cat- ya know, where if you can’t see it the cat is both alive and dead at the same moment, blah blah blah- so this is basically Schrodinger’s timeline, in that it exists and doesn’t.”  
  
  
“This has been very interesting and full of very good information, thank you- but what do timelines have to do with my magic?”  
  
  
Sans sighed, gesturing vaguely with his hand, “It’s got more to do with your nightmare. So, that was all what normally happens, yeah? There are a lot of factors that can change this dynamic, but there’s been a really powerful force that’s been destabilizing the main timeline. It’s the new focus of a bunch of alternate timelines, determining where they can stop and end and just generally being an-”  
  
  
“An anomaly,” Papyrus said automatically, feeling confused and uncertain when Sans looked at him with an expression he found very difficult to read. Maybe he didn’t like to be interrupted? Why had Papyrus said that-? His eye had dulled to a dark orange, a candle compared to the bonfire it was earlier, but still ever present and flickering at the slightest shift in his emotion. In fact it even seemed to be responding to the conversation, almost like it was listening.  
  
  
L E A V E  I T  B E  
  
  
It took Papyrus a minute to realize the thought wasn't his own. Papyrus glanced to the side on a strange whim, to see his blaster staring back...intently. He didn't have time to contemplate what that meant before Sans guided his gaze back to him.  
  
  
“Exactly, _bro_ ,” Sans sounded tense, but continued on with a neutral-enough, if still uncomfortable, expression, “Anyway, while normally this wouldn’t be an issue, this thing seems to be able to _go back in time._ Sounds crazy, I know, and maybe I am crazy- but I think there’s at least one other guy out there with the same _funny bone_.”  
  
  
Sans’ smile seemed forlorn and distant, but before he could ask about it, Sans was back to his usual tired grin and affable slouch. Papyrus felt a pang of melancholy and sorrow, but why? He had no idea what Sans was talking about.  
  
  
“Are you okay? Maybe your brain is overheating from thinking and speaking so much complex science?”  
  
  
“I’m fine,” Sans said in that tone of voice he always used when he was absolutely _not_ fine, but Sans was continuing with his lengthy explanation, “Uh, anyway- this anomaly is creating a huge disturbance in the multiverse that’s destabilizing the boundary between these different timelines. This is creating a lot more overlap between timelines that’s making different parallel timelines aware of each other. It’s starting to get so bad that even completely different universes are becoming aware of each other. Can you imagine getting a glimpse into a universe where I’m the active one and you’re the lazybones? ~~1~~ Or where monsters weren’t quite so nice, so we turned our frustrations on each other instead of working together? ~~2~~ ”  
  
  
“Those both sound awful.”  
  
  
“Right? Anyway, unless some powerful magic aligned with an exact time and space, or there was some other 1 in a googolplex occurrence, we don’t really need to worry about that. The primary impact of the anomaly is that in _this_ main timeline, we’re becoming more aware of the potential outcomes of our decisions and are reacting differently. This means events are getting completely derailed to the way they’ve played out before, and are leaving an echo that seems to be repeating into the main timeline. I’m still working on a better, more systematic way to pick up on this echo of memories, but… uh… I’m not sure what’s gonna happen.”  
  
  
“Then… that means that really wasn’t a vivid nightmare, after all,” Papyrus said softly, looking down at his hands as he instinctively burrowed into his scarf. “You really… I couldn’t…”  
  
  
“Yeah,” Sans admitted with a sigh, looking down at his snow scribbles, “In a different timeline, there is a Papyrus who lost his Sans and is suffering because of it.  
  
  
“But you listen to me real good now, because this is the most important thing I’ve said so far-” he grabbed Papyrus’ face then, making sure his brother was making eye contact, “That isn’t _ever_ going to be you.”  
  
  
Sans was actually a little bit surprised at how much conviction was in his voice, but continued on, “ Because the Papyrus _I_ know has the most welcoming heart and kindest soul not only in the entire underground, but the entire world! Probably even the entire universe, across all space and time! And there’s not a single thing that would ever, _ever_ get him to stop believing that there is goodness in all people. There’s nothing that can ever bring the Great Papyrus down that low. Not even something as awful as…”  
  
  
Sans had to stop himself there, feeling his voice become tight- he too knew what it felt like to have one’s heart shatter before their soul did.  
  
  
“Sans…” Papyrus sniffled, genuinely touched. “Do you really have that much faith in me?”  
  
  
“Always, Pap, I’ll always be on your side- even if I don’t understand.” Sans was absolutely serious and with an edge to his tone that left no room for argument.This sounded very much like a promise he was going to end up regretting. Before he could think too hard on it, Papyrus was pulling him into a hug. He patted his brother’s broad back gently.  
  
  
Papyrus tried very hard not to think about how he had given a similar hug seconds before Sans received his fatal wound. Instead, Papyrus focused on the solid comfort of the present and squeezed tighter.  
  
  
Sans let out a startled wheeze, but he returned it just as fiercely. He rested his chin on Pap’s shoulder, keeping a hand fisted in the thick fabric on the broad back. Here, alive and well. Maybe not happy, but getting there. Getting there.  
  
  
Sans could barely see Patches from this angle, but both blasters were looking at them now. They stared with an unblinking intensity- She was resentful. No, she was sad. These emotions weren’t theirs- someone longed to put their arms around the two skeletons and share in their happiness. Someone wanted to look away. They continued staring.  
  
  
This was doing nothing to get Papyrus back to an even emotional keel. Change of tactics, then. Sans butted his forehead against his brother’s with a small smile. “So, you’re gonna need to do _a lot better_ than that, you devious imposter.”  
  
  
“You are the coolest brother in the multiverse, even if you're still the laziest pile of bones I know,” Papyrus started to say when he finally felt his voice wasn’t going to break, “...Wait, what-?”  
  
  
“Yup,” Sans nodded lazily, “It’s obvious you’re a doppelgänger trying to steal my cool brother’s cool look, but you’re not fooling anyone with that act. Your pitch is too low, you didn’t use the phrase ‘Wowie’ a single time, and you didn’t smile when you said spaghetti.”  
  
  
“But hey, I’m a nice guy with a great brother, so if your lookin’ to act like him, you gotta do something like this-” Sans pulled back a little from Papyrus’ embrace to put a hand theatrically on his chest, pitching his voice comically high, “Gadzooks, Sans! Do you know what time it is?! Don’t tell me it’s time to buy a watch- you’ve used that lame pun for years! Maybe it’s _time_ for some new material. Nyehehe!”  
  
  
Papyrus smiled, snorting softly at the impression. “At least I don't go,” He lowered his voice, similarly stifling his laughter. “Sorry Pap, I couldn't hear you over this bottle of ketchup I was guzzling. I woke up from my nap just to drink it. Carry me to our home that is literally ten feet away.”   
  
  
When they burst into laughter, it was like a weight had been lifted. “...Thanks, brother. You always know the right thing to say to make me feel better.” His eyes were still wet, but this time it was from happiness.   
  
  
Exhaustion permeated the lighthearted, comforting atmosphere, and Papyrus was not surprised in the least to find Sans letting out a yawn.  
  
  
“...Sans?”  
  
  
“Yeah, buddy?”  
  
  
“What’s going to happen to that other Papyrus?”  
  
  
Sans went quiet and still, and Papyrus was afraid his brother had fallen asleep on him. He gave Sans a little shake, just in case. “He’s all alone and in pain, Sans. There’s really nothing we can do? Maybe we could figure out a way to bring him here? O-or at least send him an encouraging message? Or maybe-”  
  
  
He felt rather than saw Sans shake his head, “No. He’s probably, um- on a _permanent_ vacation from that stuff _._ ”  
  
  
“...Oh.”  
  
  
“It’s… a cold comfort, but he won’t be alone or in pain anymore.”  
  
  
Papyrus nodded, but he felt tears slide down his cheeks as he gave a miserable sniffle. How could the anomaly be so cruel?  
  
  
I T  M U S T  B E  D E S T R O Y E D  
  
  
He startled, feeling Sans patting his back in comfort, “I could be wrong, though, Pap. This is just theory after all, and the universe has a tendency to balance itself. If there’s too many unfinished timelines like that out there, there’s gotta be something out there to get rid of the clutter. Maybe there’s an anomaly that creates a safe space for those who exist in a failed timeline? ~~3~~ Or maybe there’s another anomaly that destroys dead-end timelines? ~~4~~ Maybe an anomaly can even bring  stability and coherence back! Who knows? I’m not the one who can answer that...”  
  
  
I M  L I S T E N I N G  
  
  
Papyrus opened his mouth to ask, curiosity peaked, feeling the beginnings of a throbbing headache. It seemed to emanate from his eye. He raised a ginger hand to his socket, wondering at the strange, almost sentient pain.  
  
  
“Oh, yeah- still haven’t taken care of that, huh? Well,” Sans stood up, brushing the snow off of his pajama pants, “Trying to focus on what’s off didn’t work, so try the opposite- happy thoughts. Training with Undyne, calibrating your puzzles, solving your horoscope puzzle, knowing you’re gonna make tomorrow awesome, anything that makes you the Great Papyrus.”  
  
  
Sans reached a hand out to his blaster, “Then your guardian blaster stops worrying, and you can just wave her goodbye.” Sans gave an uncharacteristic flourish, snapping his fingers, and Borbygmorgus the blaster popped out of existence. “Like that.”  
  
  
“That sounds easy!”  
  
  
Papyrus tried to focus on positive feelings, but even with Sans a comforting presence at his side, he couldn’t dispel the images of dust and darkness. He collapsed to his knees, pitching forward and just catching himself with his long arms as he stared at the snow sullenly.  
  
  
“It’s never going to leave. I will have to relocate here and be a snow nomad for the rest of time. Living in self-imposed exile, alone for a higher purpose-”  
  
  
Sans glanced between Papyrus and the blaster as he wracked his brain for another solution. Patches had always been stubborn, but this was something else. If Papyrus couldn’t do it on his own, then maybe… he could help, somehow?  
  
  
“Friends and family! Warmth and comfort! All lost! Alas, Poor Papyrus! My kingdom for someone to shut this confounded metaphorical door!”  
  
  
Sans looked up sharply, inspired. Someone, huh? Door’s went both ways, and if they both had the same metaphorical door… It was strange, trying to grab a soul that wasn’t there- it was more like trying to concentrate the surrounding magic into something tangible. Sans felt his eye light up yellow and blue and his magic strained under the effort- but he did it. Where had he learned this trick? He wasn’t even sure _how_ he managed it. Had he practiced this before?  
  
  
“Ah?! Ahhh! SANS, SANS HELP- IT FEELS LIKE SOMEONE’S TUGGING ON MY EYEBALL AND I DON’T EVEN HAVE AN EYEBALL!!”  
  
  
Patches was equally surprised, letting out a warning sound that almost sounded like some sort of word, but this _hurt_. He felt sweat bead his forehead from exertion, but concentrated on where he wanted to send her and-  
  
  
Patches disappeared with a snarl whose echo died in the trees.  
  
  
“Oh, Oh! It’s gone! Did I do that- Sans, did you see-”  
  
  
Sans pitched forward into the snow, remaining motionless as he felt trembling hands pick him up.  
  
  
“Oh my God! Sans?! Sans?!?! Are-?!?”  
  
  
Papyrus cradled him gently, as though afraid he would break, looking like he was going to cry or be sick-  
  
  
“ _Snow_ problem, I’m okay!” Sans said quickly, giving Papyrus the widest smile he could, wishing he had the strength to move his arms, “I’m just _bone_ -tired. _Tibia_ -nest I’ve done a _skele_ -ton of work today-”  
  
  
“You can’t be too bad off if your _funny bone_ is still working. What did you do?” Papyrus’ voice still warbled a bit, but there was a palpable undercurrent of relief, “Where did she- I mean, it-”  
  
  
“I, uh, sent her back home. I think.”  
  
  
“You think?!” Papyrus hesitated as he hoisted Sans up, cradling him against his chest like he was a little kid. Sans was starting to feel the beginnings of an overexertion headache, so he wasn’t about to complain.  
  
  
He nodded drowsily, “I, uh, never tried that before. I tried to give her a little boost with my shortcutting trick, but it took more out of me than I thought.” He yawned, “I’m beat. Let’s take 5, huh, and then we can try to deal with your eye. Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out. And, whatever happens, I’ll stay with you the entire time, ok?”  
  
  
Papyrus shook his head, his grip tightening into something borderline painful, “Do you promise?”  
  
  
Sans nodded, patting the top of Papyrus’ skull affectionately, making an x over his chest, “Cross my heart and hope to-”  
  
  
“DON'T! _Please._ ”  
  
  
“Cry, if my word is just a lie. Don't worry. Whatever happens- you _got_ this, Pap. ”  
  
  
“...Ok,” Papyrus sighed, wondering at that strange whisper he had heard earlier. The strange sense of knowing something important, needing to do something, but not sure _what.  
  
  
_ “You're right,” Papyrus was not surprised in the least to find Sans in a light, fitful sleep, taking a deep breath, “I can do this.” He couldn't- _wouldn't_ let this magic control him. If Sans believed in him, then the Great Papyrus did too!  
  
  
With one hand supporting his brother and the other braced against the tree Papyrus got to his feet, taking a deep breath.  
  
  
“Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just wanted to point out a few references! I don't know how well everyone knows all the AUs, so I'll just assume no prior knowledge:
> 
> 1) Underswap. That AU where they swap personalities and roles in the story with their perceived counterparts. (ie. Energetic, happy Sans and lazy, depressed Pap, Royal Guard Alphys and Scientist Undyne, etc.) Our interpretations are way different than the standard depictions, tho, as you will soon see. ;) 
> 
> 2) Underfell. The dark, edgy AU where the Underground lives more according to the ‘Kill or be Killed’ philosophy and everyone wears black, red, and a splash of yellow. 
> 
> 3)CORE!Frisk. CORE!Frisk is omnipresent and all-knowing, and has been depicted as providing a safe haven for, uh, bad end timelines within their Omega Timeline. (please check out corefrisk @ tumblr for more info!)
> 
> 4)Error!Sans. He’s a glitched, overly-hacked Sans that got the power to operate outside of his original AU, and now goes on to destroy AUs he doesn’t like. It’s complicated! (I would recommend reading through askerrorsans @ tumblr for more info! )
> 
> Damn! Been an academic too long if I’m making footnotes in fanfiction now too lol.
> 
>  
> 
> _Next time: Miles to Go Before I Sleep_
> 
>  
> 
> _Sans started to mumble soft apologies as Papyrus pulled him into a hug, settling back down with a sigh. It brought him back to a simpler time when Sans seemed big and strong enough to take on all the shadows in his closet._


	6. Miles to go Before I Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep._ “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost 

The rest of the night passed in a horrible, relentless sort of blur- going beyond the pleasant memories before the human arrived, the rest of the story unfolded no matter how much Papyrus tried to go back.  
  
  
_He was overwrought with grief. Cradled in the King’s arms, a hand clenching Sans jacket and held against his chest where his soul should be, Papyrus’ world shattered. It didn't matter guards eventually came in announcing Undyne had successfully slain the human child. It didn't matter they had enough souls to cross the barrier. Sans was still dead._  
  
  
_Undyne herself eventually arrived, armor stained red and human soul clutched in her hand. The King whispered something to her and her triumphant grin fell. “Pap…” She dropped to one knee beside him, pulling him into a strong one-armed hug._  
  
  
_“He’s gone.” He whispered. “I wasn't fast enough. He's gone, Undyne, and I-”_  
  
  
_“Stop.” Her grip tightened. “You're not going to do this to yourself, Papyrus. I won't let you sit here feeling guilt for something that was completely out of your control. Sans knew exactly what he was doing when he took that hit for you. Would he really want you to hate yourself for his decision?”_  
  
  
_Papyrus was deathly quiet before answering. “What am I going to do without him?”_  
  
  
_“Keep on living.” Undyne held out the red soul. ”See this? I killed the little brat so they never hurt anyone again. We’re going to be free, Pap. We can finally know what the sunlight feels like. Can't you feel everyone’s hopes and dreams, the thing we've all been waiting for so long, about to be realized? You can finally get a car! We can live together, and it'll be a sleepover every night! Just like you said.”_  
  
  
_It suddenly became clear Undyne didn't understand. How could she possibly begin to understand how he felt, how deep his brotherly bond with Sans ran? He had lost a part of his soul and she was trying to comfort him with a car._  
  
  
_She rubbed his back as sobs escaped him, the soul exchanging hands out of the corner of his eye. It was such a pretty, vibrant red for someone so ugly._  
  
  
_“We’ll get through this.” She promised because sweet, valiant Undyne knew how terrified he was of being left alone. “Sans died a hero. Don't you dare let his sacrifice be in vain.”_  
  
  
The images faded but the emotions remained and Papyrus was left wondering if he would be plagued with this curse for the rest of his life. At one point he woke up on the couch, tv playing something low in the background and a familiar weight against his chest.  
  
  
He sat up blearily, tugging the blanket off of him and holding his old bunny as he looked around in a daze. Sans, who had been apparently nodded off hanging over the other arm of the couch, noticed his movement and flopped onto Papyrus’ legs. Sans started to mumble soft apologies as Papyrus pulled him into a hug, settling back down with a sigh. It brought him back to a simpler time when Sans seemed big and strong enough to take on all the shadows in his closet. Maybe if he just counted how many times Sans mumbled sorry...  
  
  
P a p . . .  
  
  
So much for that idea. He lasted only a short time trying to ignore the persistent voice before deciding he just wasn't meant to sleep tonight. Maybe it was time to do something he was good at that was easy, familiar, fun…  
  
  
It was time for spaghetti.   
  
  
The voice was persistent in its claims of being able to help with his eye and that it had important things to share with him, making it difficult to do even the most basic of tasks. He managed to fill the pot with water, however, and managed to crank the heat to the adequate temperature. As Great as he was, he had enough on his plate dealing with the memories of converging timelines, he did not need to be listening to weird voices too. He stirred the salt in with enough vigor to send half the pot spilling to the floor.  
  
  
At the same time, it was soothing. Familiar. He...knew this voice very well, like an old friend. Closer than that. Family? Da….ddy...?  
  
Sans jerked awake to the sound of a distant clatter, feeling disoriented and completely exhausted. He looked around in confused sleepiness, recognizing the couch and the blanket… but no Papyrus in sight. His heart hammered in his chest as he quickly sat up, trying to ignore the way the room seemed to be spinning as he struggled to his feet.  
  
  
“Papyrus, you in there?” Sans called out softly, shielding his eye from the bright light overhead as he peered at the stove in confusion. The pasta was on the floor, along with the lid, and the water was bubbling away. Papyrus was looking over it with his shoulder hunched in on himself holding a spoon. Was… was this stress pasta making? Oh, was he crying? Was he sadly making spaghetti?  
  
  
“Pappy… you doing ok, buddy?”  
  
  
Nothing, not even the slightest twitch in his body in recognition of his name being called, like maybe he hadn’t heard. Was he that upset?  
  
  
“What’s wrong, buddy? It’s ok if your magical eyes still isn’t de-activated or whatever, honestly sleeping on it makes it worse- so it’s fine! Your blaster isn’t around to hurt anyone, so there is no need to be upset, okay?”  
  
  
Still nothing. Wow.  
  
  
“Papyrus,” Sans said once more, a little more loudly as the cold worry in his stomach grew positively icy.  
  
  
“Oh God, Pappy, talk to me please- I know this whole situation is really fucked up and I’m not being much help, but we’ve gotten through worse! This ain’t nothing, ok?” Sans tugged on Papyrus’ scarf hard, trying to get his brother to look up from the pot. Papyrus’ head lolled further against his chest, and a loud snore that shattered the silence of the kitchen.  
  
  
“Did you... _fall asleep_...?!” Sans had absolutely no idea how he was supposed to be feeling or what he should do. _He_ had fallen asleep in questionable places too, but… Papyrus? Upright? While cooking?! That was… new. Very bad new.  
  
  
The water started boiling over, hissing loudly as it hit the open flame. Sans panicked and quickly shoved Papyrus backwards, failing to notice the way the spoon caught on the edge of the pot. The pot fell to the floor with a loud clatter, dousing him with boiling water.  
  
  
“OW FUCK OW OW!!” Sans danced in pain, flicking the bubbles clinging to his bones off as quickly as he could. “OW ASGORE’S HORNS AND CROWN AND BEARD!!!!”  
  
  
Papyrus woke up with a start, feeling disoriented and tired as he sat up abruptly. He stared at the mess strewn across the floor, shifting uncomfortably as he felt the lukewarm water seeping into his clothes, looking at Sans oddly. What was he doing?  
  
  
“Sans? You're awake? Why are you shouting?”  
  
  
Sans finally seemed to have reached a more tolerable pain threshold, peeling off his hoodie and throwing it across the room. He turned to Papyrus in a rare moment of anger, pointing at the stovetop and the fire still burning. “Are you _crazy?!_ What made you think this was a good idea? Huh?!”  
  
  
Papyrus was taken aback by the sharp tone, focusing on the stove as his eyes widened. “Oh-! Did I fall asleep?! I’m so sorry!”  
  
  
Sans sighed heavily, shaking his head as he reached over to turn the stove off. Just as quickly, the irritable worry faded into something more manageable, and he grudgingly gave his brother a hand up.  
  
  
“Sorry.” Papyrus repeated, sheepishly rubbed the back of his skull, accepting his brother’s help in getting up. “I guess I'm more tired than I thought. I just thought it would help, you know? Make things more normal…”  
  
  
“Don’t ever do that again- you’re either going to burn yourself or the house down. And I’m going to be very unhappy with either scenario,” Sans grumbled, sounding more tired than anything. This timeline was going to send him to an early grave at this rate.  
  
  
“You're absolutely right, that was unsafe kitchen practice and I should have known better. It won't happen again.” He promised dutifully, expression falling as he twiddled his thumbs, “Am… Am I still in trouble? Am I forgiven now?”  
  
  
Sans face immediately softened, clapping his brother on the back, “ ‘Course. Sorry I snapped. You really scared me there, bro.” He rubbed at his neck, popping a vertebra with a grunt as he leaned up to feel Papyrus’ forehead. Hmm… Not abnormally warm, so he wasn’t coming down with a cold, and his eye still wasn’t completely deactivated yet. That wasn’t too surprising. It _had_ been a while since he had tapped into that magic, after all.  
  
  
“How… are you feeling?”  
  
  
Papyrus looked at the ground. “I'm...okay. Didn't sleep much. It's like the timeline picked up right where it left off when I woke up.” He shrugged, holding one arm. He made a point not to make eye contact because he was a terrible liar, but the last thing he wanted was to concern Sans by telling him there was a _voice_ now, too. “I didn't have to watch you die again, so...I guess it was better.”  
  
  
“That right?” Sans prided himself on being able to read most people well, but he didn’t even need to look at Papyrus to know there was a lot more to that story. No one knew his brother better than he did- after all, he had practically raised him. Well, Papyrus would open up to him when he was ready… Sans was sure of that.  
  
  
“Well, sorry to hear that, buddy,” he said sincerely, clapping a friendly hand on his brother’s back and giving him an affectionate shake. “ It ain’t fun or easy, but you’re taking it like a champ, bro- I’m proud of you. Just hang in there- sometimes you just gotta ride the magic out. Just takes time-”  
  
  
Papyrus jerked his head up abruptly, eyes wide. It occurred to him the house was a lot brighter than it was earlier. “Oh no, what time is it? My lesson with Undyne! Ahh! I need to get dressed! So do you! I can't be late!”  
  
  
A worried Undyne was a terrifying Undyne. It was best not to keep her waiting. Papyrus gently pushed past his concerned brother and hurried to pull on his battle body, pausing briefly to examine his hands. They were exposed the entire night, and not once did Sans flinch or look at the hole in his palms even though it clearly bothered him. Papyrus hurriedly slipped the gloves on.  
  
  
Sans leaned against the wall as he watched his brother quietly, arms crossed. Well, he was running around the house in his usual energetic manner, so that was a good sign.  
  
  
Papyrus stopped in front of the mirror, forcing himself to smile and go through his daily mirror pep talk, “You're a handsome, confident skeleton! Just because you had one bad night doesn't mean you have to be miserable about it today! Come on Papyrus, everyone is counting on you!”  
  
  
He opened his eyes to his reflection and froze at the sight of his still orange eye. Why hadn't it gone away? It always went away after he went to sleep before! As concerning as it was, he had duties to fulfill. Papyrus suppressed his growing sense of dread and trotted back down the stairs.  
  
  
“Sans! What do I do, my eye is still glowing?! And you _still_ aren’t dressed!?”  
  
  
“About that, Pap,” Sans began carefully, “I was thinking of taking today off as a sick day.”  
  
  
“A sick day?” Papyrus echoed back incredulously as if he had never heard of the concept before in his life. “...Why? Are you feeling ill?” He crouched to put a glove on Sans forehead as he had felt his brother do to him a million times, even if he couldn't feel temperature very well.  
  
  
“...Not exactly, but I think taking it easy today would be a real good idea.”  
  
  
‘You should too’ was the implication, of course, but Sans wasn’t just going to outright say it. As worried as he was, he was reluctant to push a sick day if being active would help his brother find self-validation and self-confidence again.  
  
  
Memories of last night resurfaced, giving Papyrus pause. “I guess...last night was pretty rough...” He trailed off, looking to the stove he had fallen asleep at with a frown. Just as quickly he retracted his glove and gave Sans a very determined look. “But I don't think staying at home will help! Besides, even if I call in sick, Undyne is going to show up here! She’s going to see my eye and then she’s going to flip! And I don't mean the cooking variety!”  
  
  
That’s what worried Sans the most. Undyne… was Undyne, and he wasn’t sure her coarseness and lack of tact were going to make an emotionally fragile Papyrus worse. He could see this ending so, so terribly. It wasn’t like he could just offer to go with Papyrus because then she would get on his case for skipping out on sentry duty, but if Papyrus fell asleep on her or his magic activated unexpectedly, he wasn’t sure what she would do-  
  
  
“We need to keep moving forward, Sans! Even if it would be nice to just stay in bed and pretend bad things didn't happen, that’s not a _real_ solution! Now please, brother- I need a brilliant idea on how to hide this horrid thing or turn it off or _something!_ I hate that it’s not going away!”  
  
Sans furrowed his browbones as Papyrus stopped in front of him, still looking so frightened of himself and his abilities. He gave a little sigh as he motioned to the couch, glancing up at his own room, “Sit down for a second, ok?”  
  
  
Papyrus obeyed, sinking into the cushions and leaning his head backwards. Was this couch always this comfortable? “It’ll all be fine in the end, Sans,” he yawned, “We just need...to...keep...smiling...”  
  
  
Unintentionally spacing out, Papyrus hardly noticed Sans leaving the room and going up the stairs. Someone important told him his smile could light up rooms when they were at their darkest, but try as he might Papyrus couldn't remember _who_.  
  
  
“Hey, Pap? Pappers?”  
  
  
At some point his eyes closed and it took a lot of effort to open them again. This sleeping issue was starting to become as bad as Sans- was he going to start falling asleep everywhere too? "Sans, I think I'm developing narcolepsy." Papyrus stifled a yawn, rubbing his eyes.  
  
  
“Here,” Sans handed Papyrus a black eyepatch, slipping his hands into the pockets of a spare hoodie he had grabbed as an afterthought. It wasn’t a particularly stellar idea, but bandages required several layers that looked bulky and suspicious and he couldn’t think of anything that wouldn’t draw attention. At least, maybe with this, Undyne would consider it an homage of some sort… or something.  
  
  
"Isn't that from your costume?" From the same party his battle body was made for, if he remembered correctly. Papyrus accepted the eyepatch and put it on, squinting and grimacing as he tried to adjust to seeing out of one eye. "This is terrible. I'm completely blind on my right side! How does Undyne manage it?"   
  
  
“She _seas._ ” Sans gave a half-hearted chuckle, but that was bad even by his standards.“You look pretty badass, bro.”  
  
  
Papyrus got up to look in the mirror himself, pleased with the way it looked. "Hm. It does look pretty cool...Oh well, beauty is pain. Thank you Sans!"  
  
  
Papyrus forced his concerns back and drew on his endless optimism, feeling more like himself already. Tired, sad and still hearing voices, but the Great Papyrus nonetheless.  
  
  
Sans gave a lazy shrug, looking at Papyrus for a long moment and feeling so… tired. The minute Papyrus was out of the house, he was going to call Undyne and warn her that Papyrus was feeling down today and to take it easy on him, whatever good that would do.  
  
  
“Yeah, uh, have fun and stuff. I got my cell phone, so call me if you need something or… anything happens, yeah? I’ll be here if you need anything.”  
  
  
Papyrus made it to the door and hesitated, looking over his shoulder. "Are you sure you want to stay? I'm sure if you tell Undyne you're not feeling well she'll let you watch my lesson! Besides, what if something happens? I don't want to hurt Undyne..."   
  
  
N O .  
H E  W I L L  I N T E R F E R E .  
  
  
Papyrus breath caught in his throat as his skull throbbed uncomfortably.   
  
  
L E A V E .   
  
  
The headache worsened and Papyrus realized this was the voice's doing. "N-nevermind. I'll be fine. You should focus on feeling better! I'll just call you if anything happens."  
  
  
“What-”  
  
  
“No time! I am very late! Goodbye Sans!” Papyrus hurriedly left the house before Sans could ask questions, breathing a sigh of relief when the headache faded completely. How strange. The voice, usually silent and complacent, had never acted so aggressive.   
  
  
G O  I N T O  T H E W O O D S . Q U I C K L Y.  
  
  
"But...Undyne..." Papyrus stopped moving, fearful of another headache. The voice did not answer but Papyrus felt the threat hanging in the air as he obediently walked into the woods, pulling out his cell phone and looking for Undyne’s number. "Voice, this is very inconvenient and rude, I hope you know. If I get supplexed in the head, it’s going to be unpleasant for you too! I’ll trust you, but I hope you know what you’re doing!”  
  
  
Sans watched Papyrus from the window, sprinting out of the house and then stopping to walk into the forest instead, clearly dragging his feet. That was incredibly suspicious… like something had made him change his mind. And Sans had a pretty good idea who.  
  
  
He flipped his hood over his head, slipping on his sneakers and forgetting to lock the door as he hurried outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this took forever to churn out! D:  
> We're really sorry! Life sucks, and my sister sucks even more. She's the reason this chapter was so late- BLAME HER!  
> As always, thank you all for your kudos and bookmarks! <3 Your support means so much to us!  
> Especially our number one supporter, EUUH! Sorry for taking so long! <3
> 
>  
> 
> _Next Chapter: Tempt a Fate Worse than Death_  
>  “You are so much stronger than you know, Papyrus. Your words can move mountains and sway crowds. If anyone can get through to the human, it's you. The fate of the universe rests on your shoulders.”


	7. Tempt a Fate Worse than Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2 skeletons (and a 1/2?) go into the woods. Only 1 of them comes back out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another very delayed chapter! D:
> 
> Sorry everybody! We reconsidered the direction of the story, had to backplan and edit a lot, but we think this is gonna be a lot better! This chapter creates more questions than it answers, I suppose, but we'll have the next one out sooner than this one!
> 
> EUUH, we're sorry for yet another delay! We love you! <3

"Hi Undyne! Um, listen, I'm afraid I won't make it to my lesson today. I have to call in sick- No, you really _don't_ have to check in on me! I just had a rough night and didn't get much sleep-”  
  
  
“There's no one you need to beat up, I promise! Unless you find a way to beat up insomnia! It’s not satisfied its taste for skeleton dreams, and is now pursuing me and my brother! If anyone can figure out how to beat up an intangible health issue, it’s you! Please don’t worry about me, I'll see you later! When I am feeling better- because I am __sick!"  
  
  
Papyrus let out a long and dramatic sigh after he hung up on Undyne, an unpleasant feeling of unease settling over his soul. He hated (and was no good at) lying to his loved ones. Although it felt like he was walking at gunpoint, he was desperate for answers. Maybe he could sort this out on his own and get the voice to leave. Wouldn't Sans be proud then!  
  
  
After a while of wandering in the woods, Papyrus felt a twinge in his eye that had him freeze in his tracks, compelled to look over his shoulder at… a bunch of empty trees. He put his hands on his hips, squinting, “Voice, there’s nobody there! Are you afraid of going into the woods? I must admit, as a babybones it was very scary because it’s so easy to get lost… but it’s not too bad!”  
  
  
He put his hand against a nearby tree, patting it enthusiastically to prove his point, “Woods are wonderful! What’s NOT to like about dark trees looming high enough to make you feel small! Far enough away from Snowdin to avoid prying eyes! And certainly far enough no one could hear a cry for help! It’s __GREAT!”  
  
  
His smile became even larger, moving restlessly in growing (concern) excitement, “Yes! I can easily understand why you would be on edge, spirit, but fear not! The Great Papyrus is here to protect and accompany you, because ** _I am not afraid!_** A future royal guard is _never_ afraid!”  
  
  
Sans sank further behind the log he was hiding against, feeling increasingly guilty the longer Papyrus spoke. He should reveal himself and comfort his brother, stop creeping around the shadows like _he_ was the one doing something sketchy. Well, he _was,_ but...  
  
  
Just as Sans decided to stand up and approach his brother, Papyrus screamed, “YAAAAAAAGH!!!”  
  
  
Sans flopped over onto his stomach, peeking over the edge of the log with his soul thundering, instinctively sending defensive magic to his fingertips as it pounded in his chest. Papyrus was posed like a tightly coiled flamingo, looking like he was one inch shy of falling over even as he pointed a bone at the thing shifting in the darkness of the woods,  
  
  
_"Papyrus..."_ An outline became visible, but Sans was too far away to make it out clearly.  
  
  
"Who goes there?! Voice, how did you get out of my head?! Why won't you leave me alone?!"  
  
  
Sans quietly got to his knees, getting behind a tree and carefully picking his way around fallen branches and twigs as he tried to get closer.  
  
  
“Hey wait! You’re not the horrendous embodiment of the disembodied voice that lives in my eye!” Sans glanced up to see Papyrus crouching down as he beckoned to... a child. A child with unnaturally ashy grey skin and lifeless eyes, even with the dim lighting of the caverns crystals, that looked alarmingly familiar. Sans was sure he had seen him before, somewhere- but where? How? __Who?  
  
  
“Do your parents know you’re out this far in the woods?” Papyrus asked gently as they came closer, balancing on his toes, “I know everyone in Snowdin, but I don’t know you, so I think you’re lost. My name is Papyrus- what’s yours?”  
  
  
“I have had many names... in different times... and different lives,” Despite the complete lack of expression, the gray child looked sad, voice wistful but a little garbled, like there was an underlying track of white noise, “But… I think my favorite… was when you called me… ‘Daddy’…”  
  
  
Papyrus screamed again, scrambling backwards with his sockets blown wide open, “OHMIGOD?! ARE YOU A GHOST?! ARE YOU THE GHOST OF A FATHER?! ARE YOU THE GHOST OF _MY_ FATHER?!”  
  
  
“Papyrus, please.” Despite their complete lack of arms, the gray child managed to put its tail against its mouth in a shushing motion. Papyrus shut his mouth with an audible click, watching the strange monster ‘fall’ into a sitting position. They still managed to hover just above the snow, like they couldn’t interact with it normally, and he uneasily followed suit.  
  
  
“Forgive me, my son. It was not my intention to frighten you. It was vital I get the chance to talk to you privately through any means necessary, especially without Sans. I fear your brother would...disapprove….of this meeting.”  
  
  
“Oh.” He couldn’t deny that really piqued his interest, twiddling his thumbs as he considered his options. The Great Papyrus was a very mature grown bones who was more than capable of taking care of himself, and didn’t need his brother’s permission to meet strange ghosts deep in the woods without anyone knowing where he was! But there was still that uncomfortable gnawing of guilt, because… “Why would my brother disapprove of our meeting? Isn’t he your son too? Were you… not friends?”  
  
  
“This story is more complicated than I have time to explain. We are a family, but he is not my son.” The shorter monster seemed to have approached (without moving?!) until they were only a few feet away, a wistful smile on their face. The inside of their mouth was black, somehow shifting despite not moving at all. Papyrus tried not to shudder, but did swallow loudly and clutched his bone a little tighter.  
  
  
“Your brother and I used to be very close, working on time research together until I lost my body.”  
  
  
“But…” Papyrus tilted his head, gesturing at his ‘father’ in obvious confusion, “You have a body. Right now. It doesn’t work exactly like a body _should_ , I think, but-”  
  
  
The gray child’s face slipped back into its expressionless mask, mournful eyes unblinking, “The one I have now is only... borrowed. It does not have much time left in this realm.”   
  
  
_Borrowed?!_ Sans felt an icy chill crawl down his spine, alarm bells ringing in his skull as he hunkered deeper down in the snow. Something about that monster seemed maddeningly familiar, but he wasn’t sure __why.  
  
  
“So…” Papyrus dissolved his weapon once it was clear there was no threat, trying to place what was wrong with the other monster. “You died?”  
  
  
The monster smiled patiently. “Not quite. Technically, I don't exist anymore at all. You, Sans and the anomaly are the only ones I can interact with, albeit briefly.” They looked off into the trees, “And through much difficulty and interference...but that's not important right now, you see-”   
  
  
“That sounds really lonely.”  
  
  
Papyrus frowned, fear and confusion turning into pity. “If there's only three people you can talk to, especially only as a creepy mind voice or by possessing people, it sounds like a sad, lonely existence. Is that why you get so cranky when you're ignored, and threaten to hurt people?”  
  
  
He smiled sympathetically when the gray monster just stared blankly. “It's okay, bitter spirit! I feel like that sometimes too, when it feels like no one likes me but my brother. And lately I've been thinking that without him...what's the point of anything? All the fame and recognition in the world mean nothing if Sans isn't there to tell me how proud he is of me.”  
  
  
Sans looked up sharply, forgetting himself as he automatically stood up. __What?  
  
  
Papyrus tightened his grip on his knees as his voice began to break, “I'm so scared I'm going to end up alone. I don't want to wake up to a shower of kisses every morning if that means I never get to hug Sans again.”  
  
  
“Pap-” Sans whispered to himself, hands falling useless at his side as he stared at his brother from the shadows, still unnoticed. He was so glad he had told Papyrus earlier that he had been proud of him, because he didn’t know something so little could mean so much- maybe because it seemed so obvious? It had never occurred to him that the hugs he gave grounded his brother as much as they helped him.  
  
  
“B-but! I believe we can get through these tough times, spirit!” Sans looked up in time to see his brother throw his arms around the gray child, whose eyes widened in response. “Never give up hope! I'm sorry that you're trapped in such a miserable existence, but I _know_ you will eventually find the peace to move on to whatever awaits us after we've fallen.”   
  
  
His grip tightened. “And if you ever need to possess my body to know that you're not alone and haven't been forgotten, I'm okay with that. My brother is the best person in the world to hug and I'm sure he wouldn't mind!”   
  
  
_What?!_ Sans tensed at that, ducking behind a tree again when it seemed the gray child had been staring in his direction. Of _course_ Papyrus would offer his body to a mysterious entity with even more mysterious motivations. He made up a mental note to casually bring up that was inadvisable for a number of reasons, one of which was he would personally very much mind if something possessed his little brother and then tried to hug him.  
  
  
**_“Papyrus!”_  
**   
  
The monster had been so stoic before, but that anguished cry seemed to echo beyond the trees while still being almost completely silent. Papyrus kept both his arms around the monster even as he twitched, no doubt feeling that overwhelming sorrow and grief that seemed like a knife to the soul. Sans slid down the tree noiselessly, clutching at his soul.  
  
  
“My sweet, wonderful, courageous Papyrus,” Tears were spilling from the monster’s eyes, black, fat drops that dripped down his chin but left no mark on the snow. The expression on the dead monster’s face was indescribable. “You are so much stronger than you know.”  
  
  
They smiled up at him, dark fissures carved out of their tear tracks that made them look even more frightening. Their right eye began to droop, almost collapsing on itself as the crown of their head began to crumble into... dust?  
  
  
“Your words can move mountains and sway crowds. If anyone can get through to the human, it's you.” More of their body started to crumble away but they looked at peace, voice warm and confident despite the heavy weight of their words, “The fate of the universe rests on your shoulders.”  
  
  
“What?!” Papyrus jolted as though he had been slapped, pulling away to hold the crumbling monster at arm’s length, staring with bulging eyes. “You- you knew my nightmare! I... How did you know? I didn’t even tell Sans it was a human! I-” He gave them a little shake, letting out a mortified sound when their entire tail fell off.  
  
  
“Papyrus, the anomaly has taken control of your universe and trapped you in a cycle of hatred and pain.” There was only half of the monster’s body left, steadily crumbling away until they lost their legs entirely. “Only a being with a large amount of determination can take back control and reshape the universe, a soul deep asleep in the body the anomaly has possessed.”  
  
  
Papyrus blinked. This was not the reaction he expected from his questions. Or his motivational speech. “Err, spirit, I don't know what I’m supposed to do about any of this! I appreciate your confidence, but! Shouldn't this be something you tell Sans? You worked together!”  
  
  
“No.” Feeling their grip on the body and world loosening, they took a deep breath. “Papyrus, I believe you can be the one to awaken it. You _must_ be the one to awaken it!”   
  
  
“But I-” Papyrus closed his mouth with an audible click as the monster looked up at him, a face he didn’t recognize at all but could place immediately. “I guess you have to go now.”  
  
  
He didn’t want to let go, but there was barely anything else to hold onto. “I'll- I’ll do my best! I won't forget you, Daddy!”   
  
  
Their eyes closed as they disappeared entirely, voice fading into an odd static, “Thank you…”  
  
  
The world stuttered for a moment.  
  
  
But everything went immediately back to normal.  
  
  
_Huh?_ Sans sat up from his spot by the tree, looking around in confusion. Why was he here again? Had he been sleepwalking again? He chanced a glance over his shoulder, catching sight of Papyrus kneeling in the snow and... crying? He stood up immediately, taking one step forward before an overwhelming sense of dejavu washed over him. Something important happened here. Something he couldn’t afford to forget?  
  
  
Sans rubbed at his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a throbbing headache. Something about determination. Not giving up. Difference. Better? No matter the odds.    
  
  
The pain became too much and he had to let that train of thought go, focusing instead on standing upright and grounding himself in his surroundings. He was in Snowdin forest, the snow was cold underfoot, everything was pretty quiet today, and he was standing in the shadows-  
  
  
Wait. Why was it so quiet… in the middle of the day?  
  
  
Sans only caught the briefest flash of it in the corner of his eye, gray sparkles in the sunlight that stood out like a blemish on the otherwise clean snow, and felt a shadow at his back- but it was enough time to roll out of the downward arc of the blade poised at his back. He felt the beads of sweat on his forehead, most likely a mixture of cold terror and sudden exertion, as he looked up at an all-too familiar expression of hatred couched in rounded-cheeks. He felt a shudder run through him, smiling too tightly as he began to address the human.  
  
  
“What? You tryin’ to get a head start-”  
  
  
Chara charged forward before he could even finish his sentence, forcing him to jump backwards out of the way as he quickly countered with a barrage of bones, though they did little more than trip the human up a little bit. They had always had a nasty temper, but this was a whole new level of mad. Sans would probably derive more delight from their obvious rage if it wasn’t quite so dangerous for him.  
  
  
_“Cutting_ to the chase, huh?”  
  
  
He didn’t usually humor them before the judgement hall, watching from the shadows and tallying their sins, but what the hell. He had a nervous, jittery energy and was feeling oddly motivated about this today. He activated the blue gravity attack on their soul when they were inches from his face, lifting them off the ground before smashing them against a tree. It was pretty cathartic to watch them slide down slowly, although he couldn’t quite remember why he was so annoyed with them. Probably because they had killed Papyrus in his brother’s own nightmare. Jerk.  
  
  
“Gotta say, kid-”  
  
  
“Shut up, comedian.” Chara spit out a glob of blood that stood out in the snow, forcing themselves upright as they twirled the knife in their hand, eyes calculating and hard as they took in Sans and his surroundings. It was reckless to try and engage him this early, but they had almost gotten the drop on him! They swayed unsteadily on their feet, forcing their head to clear, charging as the skeleton dodged again and they crashed into a tree.  
  
  
“Yowch,” Sans’ posture stiffened even as his smile grew wider, “That _moss_ -t’ve hurt _fir_ sure.”    
  
  
Oh, now they were getting really mad. It wasn’t enough that he had been a key factor in making them reset, _again,_ but he had to be so _insufferable_ every time. But they had to be above petty things like this, as long as they were determined and didn’t lose sight of the end goal, it would all work out in the end. After all, he couldn’t dodge forever- and once he was out of the way, everything else would be child’s play. Chara smiled right back at him, teeth bared aggressively and the knife catching the glow of the crystals overhead.  
  
  
“This is pointless. We both know how this will eventually end.”  
  
  
Papyrus jerked his head up when he heard a third thump and saw that tree shake again, sighing as he made his way to his feet. He had been hoping to politely mourn the newly fallen by meditating on their words, but... He wished they had stayed alive long enough to tell him where to scatter their ashes. He wished they had left ashes for him to scatter.  
  
  
“Hello?!” He called out, hands on his hips as he walked forward to... what sounded like some sort of magical attack. Why would they-  
  
  
Papyrus stumbled out of the way of a sloppy bone attack, quickly taking in the churned snow and the-  
  
  
__No. It was like reliving his nightmare. Had he gone back to his dream? Back in time? But where was Undyne? No, Papyrus realized as he made brief eye contact with Sans, this was a new nightmare.  
  
  
He would not see his brother die again. He refused.  
  
  
Calling on the magic he had been trying so hard to suppress, Papyrus lifted a hand as the eyepatch fell off on its own accord. “Please, stop!” His gasterblaster appeared looking the happiest he'd ever seen it, so pleased to have finally been summoned willingly that it didn't wait for Papyrus’ command to open its giant maw and release the pent up magic.  
  
  
Everything went white.  
  
  
When the magic settled Papyrus stood among decimated trees, his blaster nowhere in sight, with only a bloody corpse and a dusty jacket to keep him company. He fell to his knees and watched as the bright little red soul escaped its human vessel.  
  
  
“S-sans?” This wasn't what he had wanted at all. Papyrus stared at his gloves in a growing mix of disgust and horror at the destruction his magic caused, the consequences of his actions sinking in. “Human? No...no, no no! This isn't how it's supposed to go-!”  
  
  
Breathing became difficult, his scarf constricting. The feeling crushing his soul wasn't the guilt of not helping his brother fast enough, the despair of thinking about living in a world Sans wasn't a part of. This was a cold, empty feeling.  
  
  
The feeling of being directly responsible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _Next Chapter: Collateral Fallout_  
>  _“Hey Grillby! Fuku is, like, hanging out with a new friend today! ”_  
>  _RG02 chimed in quietly, “...Seems unstable. Be careful.”_  
>  _Grillby closed his eyes with a sigh, nothing he hadn’t been expecting, but… “Thank you.”_  
>   
>  Thank you for your continued readership despite all these sporadic updates! ;w; Your support means so much to us! <3


	8. Collateral Fallout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Papyrus goes to Hotland to run away from his problems- but Fuku Fire finds him instead. When she fails to cheer him up, Grillby tries. When that fails, Grillby _forces the issue._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiii. Um! Life's been busy, we've gotten caught up with a lot of other projects and stuff, so... sorry for like the months between updates. :C
> 
> We are DETERMINED to finish this though! So we'll get through it eventually! Thank you for sticking through with us!

Hotland was hot, stuffy, _uncomfortable._ Though he had no skin Papyrus found himself sweating anyway, wishing he hadn't come the second his boot stepped out of the tunnel connecting Waterfall and Hotland.  
  
  
He felt like a criminal, taking extra precautions not to run into anyone he knew as he slunk away quickly and quietly to a place he was sure no one would look, the one place he was very vocal of his dislike for. The puzzles here consisted of conveyor belts, steam and lasers, all _uncreative_ and _terrible_ \- literally the place’s only redeeming quality was Mettaton.  
  
  
It had nothing to do with the fact this was, technically, where he was from. Not so pleasant memories Papyrus tried not to remember liked to resurface when he visited... And, as a monster that didn't like dwelling on the past, it was annoying and unwelcome. He was a confident, beloved skeleton related to the best older brother ever, who lived with him in a nice house in the best part of the Underground, full of dreams for the future with a faith and optimism that couldn't be shaken!  
  
  
At least, he used to be.   
  
  
He felt drained of the energy that usually came so effortlessly, every step like a thousand weights as he traveled further into Hotland. Where to now? He hadn't thought far beyond “need to get away from Sans, where is the last place he would- Hotland? Hotland.”   
  
  
Papyrus slowed to a stop. He could continue to the capital, he supposed, or keep wandering aimlessly in an attempt not to think about the memory that kept playing on repeat in his head. Did it matter?  
  
  
...Did anything?  
  
He was not a Papyrus that lost faith in the world or someone else, as the first timeline had. He was a Papyrus that lost faith in _himself._  
  
  
“Pappy!!”   
  
  
A friendly green face greeted him, leaving her friend to run over and throw her arms around him. Usually he would effortlessly lift Fuku Fire and hug back, being the best hugger in the Underground and all, but Papyrus could only manage a pat on her back.   
  
  
“Hi, Fuku.” He tried to smile. “Can't stay, sorry. This isn't really a good time. You should go to school, I need to be alone right now.”   
  
  
Fuku let go and took a step back, half wondering if she had hugged the wrong skeleton as the tired, slouching skeleton in front of her acted nothing like Papyrus. “Papyrus…?” She ventured, black eyes narrowed in concern as he turned his back to her.   
  
  
“Hey, wait!” Her arm shot out and grabbed his glove, concern growing as it fell limply in her grasp. Papyrus was strong and could easily pull his hand back, but he only paused to look at her with an emotionless frown that was so unlike him it was scary.   
  
  
“Come sit with me.” Fuku took matters into her own hands, tugging at the glove in her grasp. “Please? You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to, but at least sit for a while. I'll buy you some nice cream.”   
  
  
Despite his earlier determination not to interact with anyone Papyrus soon found himself dangling his feet above the bubbling magma deep below, listening to Fuku give her friend some money to bring back a couple of nice creams. Fuku was a great listener, always willing to provide wise insight and advice- but she did not deserve to be mixed up in this mess. Just like Sans.   
  
  
Fuku joined him and instead of immediately asking what was wrong like he expected, she started talking about everything. From the weather to her friends, school drama to the latest Mettaton episode, Fuku avidly carried a one sided conversation in an attempt to distract him. It sort of worked, but he couldn't manage much beyond a lopsided smile and the occasional comment.  
  
  
This new side of Papyrus was terrifying. A sad or angry Papyrus usually got over it very quickly to focus his attention on other things, but it seemed whatever happened had him trapped in its grip. Quiet, still- Fuku had known Papyrus for years, but she had no idea how to deal with it.   
  
  
She discreetly slipped out her phone, firing off a quick message to the one monster she knew would know how to fix Papyrus. She just hoped he could come quickly.  
  
  
....  
  
  
Grillby tightened his grip on the handle of his umbrella as the boat came to a sudden stop at the Hotland pier, giving the river person a tight nod as he stepped off the boat and began walking up the steps. He stopped for only a moment when the river person giggled, but hurried to the elevator.  
  
  
He supposed it was rather humorous- an umbrella didn’t really do much when faced against an entire river, but it made him feel less vulnerable… and he had gotten pretty good at deflecting splashes by this point. Grillby nodded at 01 and 02, 02 stepped off to the side wordlessly, as usual, but 01 gave him the confirmation he had been seeking,  
  
  
“Hey Grillby! Fuku is, like, hanging out with a new friend today! ”  
  
  
02 chimed in quietly, “...Seems unstable. Be careful.”  
  
  
Grillby closed his eyes with a sigh, nothing he hadn’t been expecting, but… “Thank you.”  
  
  
He had always appreciated 02 analysis- succinct and helpful, the perfect foil to 01’s more detailed descriptions. He could understand why Undyne always had them posted together.  As he walked up towards the elevator, he could hear 01 and 02 carrying on with their conversation  
  
  
“Whaaat?! Why would you say that, bro?! He’s like, a lil’ sad I guess, but there’s no way he’s dangerous! He’s wearing, like, a lil cape thingy! A lil’ cape thingy, bro!”  
  
  
“... maybe. Maybe not…”  
  
  
“That he’s like, dangerous, or that it’s a cape?”  
  
  
“...yes.”  
  
  
As Grillby waited for the elevator to come down, he carefully reviewed the timeline of events.  
  
  
Sans hadn’t seen his brother all morning, but only began to worry when Papyrus failed to scold him about calibrating his puzzles before lunch. The frazzled skeleton had essentially torn his house upside down looking for his brother, discovering a ‘sinister note’ that made it seem like Papyrus had been kidnapped. (And a missing labcoat?) He was convinced it was a ‘malignant entity he had pissed off,’ and burst into Grillby’z at noon in a complete panic.  
  
  
The Snowdin Canine Unit, either overly devoted to their least furry member or his brother, had been literally tearing Snowdin apart looking for Papyrus.  
  
It had taken a lot of strategic timing and careful corralling to get everyone back inside, but they drank the sedative easily enough. Sans had been so hyped up on borderline hysteria that it was difficult to get him to accept the drink, but Grillby had eventually worn him down. The dogs and Sans had been collected into a sleepy pile under the card table.  
  
  
Grillby stepped into the elevator and pushed the button, hands resting on the umbrella as he glanced at his watch. The effects of the sedative gave him about an hour to solve this issue before everyone woke up and destroyed his bar.  
  
  
He shook his head as he walked towards the puzzle his daughter liked to frequent. He was going to add another 100g to Sans’ tab for this.  
  
  
Pausing at the edge of the puzzle, Grillby caught sight of two very familiar figures. Papyrus and Fuku had their backs turned to him, deep in conversation as they dangled their legs over the edge of the rock. That was a very reckless, but he didn’t have the energy to get into that right now. Not when he knew there was a different, larger issue that needed to be dealt with.  
  
  
Papyrus looked _terrible_. His usual smile was tired and thin, and the shadows around his sockets looked too deep. Like he expected, he had the labcoat tied over his shoulders like it was giving him a hug, and Papyrus seemed to be leaning into the fabric as though craving its touch. Grillby had thought Sans had been overreacting, as he was prone to do in most situations involving Papyrus, but now he understood. It sent a pang of paternal concern through his soul to see the skeleton he helped raise in such rare form.  
  
  
Grillby cleared his throat loudly, arching an eyebrow as the younger monsters jumped in surprise. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school, young lady? And aren’t you supposed to be at your post, young man?”  
  
  
_“Daddy!”_ Fuku visibly relaxed, tone a mix of relief and desperate confusion,  “I was on my way, I swear, but I ran into Pappy and…” Her flames flickered erratically, glancing between both monsters, “He's like never here, you know? So I had to take a few minutes to visit with him.”   
  
  
A more in character Papyrus would have flailed comically at Grillby’s appearance, but he only widened his eyes in surprise, “Oh. Hello Sir.”   
  
  
He went silent at the question, turning back to watch the boiling magma. “It's, uh, actually not a real job. I just choose to do it...” His smile became sad. “But I can't remember why. Weird, huh?”   
  
  
“Because you like to help people.” Fuku supplied helpfully, feeling triumphant at the upward turn of his mouth only for it to fall almost immediately. Papyrus didn't comment.   
  
  
“I see,” Grillby said evenly, keeping his eyes focused on Papyrus’ back and the lab coat, wondering just how long ago he had last seen it. The skeleton brothers were still living in Hotland then- back when all his children were small enough to still sit in his lap when they needed it the most.  
  
  
Grillby took a deep breath. He had never been particularly talkative, and short, direct sentences were usually sufficient for his needs at the bar. But in all the years he had known Papyrus, he had never seen the skeleton look or act like _this_ before. He started walking toward the pair.  
  
  
“Papyrus, you’re not acting like yourself. And it’s making all the monsters who care about you worry.” Grillby glanced at his daughter, taking in her furrowed brows and nervous wringing of her hands, “We’re all very concerned for your physical and mental well-being, Papyrus, and we want to help you in whatever way we can.”  
  
  
Papyrus continued watching the magma boil, giving no sign of having even heard Grillby.  
  
  
“Pappy?” Fuku leaned forward to look at her friend’s face and bit her lip at that empty, listless expression.  
  
  
Grillby stopped when he was directly behind of Papyrus, clapping a hand on the skeleton’s shoulder. He rested the other on Fuku’s shoulder, giving them both a reassuring squeeze. Physical affection was something Grillby was usually reserved about, but… he was starting to get really, really worried.  
  
  
“I’ll help however I can.”  
  
  
Pulling back, Grillby helped Fuku to her feet as he pushed a pre-written note into his daughter’s hand. He tapped at his watch meaningfully, gesturing over his shoulder in the direction of the school.  
  
  
Fuku really didn’t want to go- that kind of empty, _hopeless_ expression didn’t fit sweet, happy Papyrus- but she didn’t know what else she could _do._ Hating feeling so helpless, she gave the skeleton a tight hug. After he hit puberty, Papyrus was a little too big for her to get her arms to go fully around, but she did her best. As an afterthought, she pushed the nice cream into his hand.  
  
  
“Don't push him too hard, Daddy,” Fuku whispered as she gave her father a hug, flame brightening a little, “If Pappy doesn't feel like talking about it yet, he will later- just give him some time.”  
  
  
Grillby made no comment on Fuku’s request, patting her back and resting his cheek (?) against the top of her flame like when she was a little girl. He had a feeling Papyrus would need to be persuaded to get over this melancholy by less…. gentle means.  
  
  
“Bye, Pappy!” She called over her shoulder, exchanging a worried look with her father before hurrying away.  
  
  
“I mean no disrespect, Sir,” Papyrus turned to Grillby once Fuku had gone, Nice cream dripping all over his glove “but you can't possibly help me.”  
  
  
He frowned. “ _I_ don't even understand what I'm going through right now. All I know is that my magic is way too powerful and unstable for me to be around anyone, and no matter what I do, Sans always gets hurt because of me.”  
  
  
There was a long pause. “I don’t want to hurt him or you or anybody else. So it's better that I stay here, alone, until I can figure this all out.”   
  
  
Papyrus turned his gaze to the massive device in the middle of the lava. Here, he felt deep in his soul, there were answers. But he wasn't quite composed enough yet to venture inside the CORE, which was apparently a mistake- Fuku he half expected to show up, simply because she had a knack for knowing when he was sad, but he never expected Grillby to travel all the way to Hotland.  
  
  
Grillby made no motion to leave. Papyrus felt a brief, unnatural flicker of irritation as he stared hard at the lava. “Well, Sir, you found me. I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell Sans-”  
  
  
“Stand up.” Grillby’s tone was hard and pitiless, arms crossed over his chest as he regarded Papyrus silently. The edges of his flames growing hotter and more erratic and his patience started to wane when the skeleton only turned to stare at him.  
  
  
“Sitting on the edge of an abyss only ever leads to one answer,” Grillby added impatiently, not liking just how long Papyrus’ gaze lingered on the bubbling magma and the core in the distance. Was this martyr complex hereditary? He could see the same slump in this skeleton’s shoulders as Sans’ when he would sadly reminisce about ‘somewhere else.’  
  
  
“Grillby…” Papyrus sighed, becoming a bit impatient himself. “I appreciate the fact you're trying to help, really, but this is something I need to do by myself.”   
  
  
No. He wasn’t about to let Papyrus wallow in self-pity, too. Obviously words weren’t getting through that thick skull of his, and Grillby had always been of the opinion that actions were more persuasive anyway.  
  
  
Grillby’s flames flared hotter as he rolled up his sleeves, tugging off his bow tie and shrugging off his vest. He hesitated for a long a moment, before putting his neatly folded vest and bow tie on the dusty ground with a sigh, delicately placing his glasses on the top of his pile. The things he went through for this family.  
  
  
“I said,” he repeated with a sharper edge to his voice, fire begin to crackle more loudly as it built up around his arms and flared in increasingly far reaching, erratic patterns. He pulled his fist back, punching a stray flame into his other fist, rolling it around his knuckles as it grew steadily larger before tossing it to his other hand as though he were flaring at the bar. He tossed it behind his back and rolled it down his arm, before catching it in his palm and throwing it at the neglected nice cream in Papyrus’ hand, “Stand _up,_ Papyrus.”  
  
  
“I don’t want-” Papyrus cut himself off with a yelp, letting the Nice cream disappear into the magma below. He shook his hand out, feeling the heat of it even through his gloves. He turned his torso fully around to stare at Grillby, frowning deeply in confusion at this strange attempt at comfort. “Grillby, **please.”** He tried one more time, gaining an edge that made his statement less of a request.  
  
  
Grillby didn’t answer, manipulating his flames in his favorite bartending flair routine to create a quick succession of fireballs. He started slow, aiming close enough to Papyrus’ feet to force the skeleton to shift away from the unbearable heat.  
  
  
“Stop!” Papyrus protested when he was forced to the very edge, finally getting to his feet when it was clear he really would get burned. A wayward fireball singed Sans’ lab coat and he felt a flash of unreasonable anger.   
  
  
“I don't understand how this helps you or me!” Papyrus reluctantly summoned a bone club and moved to the defensive. “My magic is too strong to use in battle! I don't want to hurt you!”  
  
  
Impassive and silent, Grillby stopped holding back and switched to a series of attacks that targeted the skeleton directly. Papyrus reeled back when a fireball hit him in the chest, surprised by how much that actually _hurt.  
  
  
_ “What are you even trying to _do?!”_ Papyrus finally snapped, harassed with enough fireballs he sent back a wave of bones. “None of this _matters!_ This is nothing but a bad dream to you, but I have to keep doing this over and over! I’m stuck in a nightmare I can’t wake up from and I’m not even _your_ Papyrus!”  
  
  
His expression fell as Grillby didn’t bother trying to dodge, staggering backwards in obvious pain. The fire monster actually looked surprised- that attack must have lowered his HP by more than he thought it would.  
  
  
“I’m sorry.” His shoulders shaking in effort, Papyrus struggled to calm himself. It took a lot more effort to reign in his emotions than to control his magic, and he felt like he was at his breaking point.  “Please don't make me do this, Grillby.”  
  
  
He didn't know if he could hold out much longer without cracking, emotionally or magically. “You don’t _understand!”  
  
  
_ “No, I don’t understand,” Grillby replied coldly, face impassive as he moved his arms rapidly to create a heat vortex. He literally punched it at the skeleton, raising the already warm temperature to almost unbearable intensity. “Explain what you mean.”  
  
  
Grillby didn’t hesitate this time when he sent his fireballs at the increasingly battered lab coat around Papyrus’ shoulders. He was so, so tired of hearing this lone, suffering martyr narrative from Sans. Without context or explanation, he was not going to allow Papyrus to wallow in self-pity the same way.  
  
  
A well placed fireball hit the lab coat and Papyrus snapped. “ENOUGH!” He planted his feet, swinging a bone and batting away the barrage of fireballs in a single swing. Boots toeing the edge of the lava, fear and depression were replaced with anger.  
  
  
“I killed him!” Papyrus shouted, losing control of his volume alongside his temper. “It's bad enough Sans died in my arms, but then I lost control of my magic and turned him to ashes- can't you see I'm a murderer, Grillby?!  I killed my own brother.”   
  
  
“I'm tired of seeing him die because of me and I refuse to see it happen again. And if that means not seeing him again, then…! Then…” Papyrus put a hand against the lab coat. “Then I'm happy if the only part of him I get to see is this lab coat. Anything, as long as he's safe.”  
  
  
“...” Grillby let his arms drop, doing his best not to sigh. Papyrus was a very sensitive monster, and it was obviously very important to him- but if this was all an overreaction from a misunderstanding, he was going to _triple_ Sans’ tab. “Sans is not dead. He’s in my bar. Safe. And asleep.”  
  
  
“Good.” Papyrus turned back to the CORE, still monologuing. Ugh. “This is where I first met Sans. My brother, my best friend, my guardian...I don't really remember life before him and it doesn't matter, because Sans has always been there. He's done so much for me...and I killed him.”   
  
  
_"Papyrus."  
  
  
_ “The funny thing is, I'm the only one who remembers.” Papyrus was rapidly falling into his despair. But he couldn’t- can't lose control again. “I wake up with his dust on my hands like nothing ever happened, and he doesn't understand why I have to do this. When we reset again, I'm still going to have his dust on me on, the guilt I made him worry this much, and I'll be at square one all over again. It really is futile- nothing I do in any time works anyway.”   
  
  
He left it at that, staring blankly at the lava.   
  
  
Grillby regarded the skeleton thoughtfully. Now that Papyrus turned his back to him as though resigned to watch himself and the coat burn, and it seemed he had managed to force the issue exactly how he intended, Grillby had no reason to continue the fight.  He let his arms drop to his sides, waiting for the flames to subside.  
  
  
“...If nothing matters, why does it matter if Sans died before?” Grillby’s voice was deceptively soothing and calm, as though he were discussing something as mundane as the weather, “Why would past events have an impact in this… timeline? If the current events don’t matter, why even bother isolating yourself?”  
  
  
“Because!” Papyrus stiffened, not sure what he could say. Maybe Grillby was right. Why was he doing this? All he had achieved so far was making Sans panic to the point where even Grillby- who hardly ever left Snowdin- had come all this way to look for him. Well. He knew better for next time, to avoid Hotland completely and find somewhere even deeper- somewhere he had never visited, maybe Old Capital. And find a better way not to make Sans panic when he left.  
  
  
“Was it on purpose, Papyrus? Did you want to see him die? And don’t tell me it ‘doesn’t matter’ because it does!” Grillby’s voice rose a little at that last part, flames flaring in an unusual moment of passion, but quickly smoothed themselves into something more controlled.  
  
  
“I- of course it wasn't on purpose!” Papyrus sputtered, whirling back around. “I love Sans, I would never hurt him! I just...I just lost control. I didn't mean to…” He trailed off weakly, surprised to be met with the same conviction as Grillby kept speaking.  
  
  
“I _know_ you, Papyrus. Ever since you were a… babybones,” The fire monster’s flames flickered in the semblance of a smile for a moment at the endearment, before he continued earnestly, “And I know what you are capable of. Murder isn’t something you could ever do. Accidents happen and actions have consequences, but the solution shouldn’t be to never act again.”  
  
  
“But…” Papyrus actually felt worse with every passing word. Why did Grillby think so highly of him? He didn’t deserve-  
  
  
“We all make mistakes, Papyrus, and some of them are impossible to take back,” Grillby couldn’t help the wistfulness seeping into his tone, “You’re lucky, because in this timeline, Sans is alive and well. Not everyone gets the opportunity to make things better after they lose someone. Wouldn’t you rather be doing something more useful?”  
  
  
“I…” This all sounded so familiar.  
  
  
_“Take it from me, Papyrus, it’s better to focus on the time you have with the brother you have now... than a potential future with a pile of dust. I love you, bro- don’t shut me out… please.”  
  
  
_ How could he have forgotten? Papyrus put a hand to his head and groaned, the club he hadn't realized he was still gripping clattering to the ground. “Don't shut me out,” He repeated in a whisper, eye flashing a brief orange. “I'm the only one…”  
  
  
Grillby’s expression was unreadable, scrutinizing Papyrus’ face in a long, long moment before he stooped to rustle through his jacket, fishing out his cellphone. His phone charms clattered against each other as he typed in a number in silence, a trio of a smiley faces in different colors from a Father’s Day long ago, and he glanced at them and then at Papyrus before putting the phone up to his ear. Well, where his ear should have been anyway and not in direct contact with his flames.   
  
  
It took a while, with Grillby keeping his silent gaze on Papyrus the entire time, but whoever was on the other end of the line seemed to have finally picked up. “Found him,” Grillby said simply, moving the phone away from his ear and holding it out for Papyrus to take- when he saw Papyrus hesitate, he pushed it into Papyrus’ mitten and closed his fingers over it, taking a step back and folding his hands behind his back.  
  
  
Taking a deep breath, Papyrus put it against his ear, “Sans, I'm so-”  
  
  
“Hoo,” A voice asked blearily, before sound of rapid shaking head and slight jingle of metal filled the receiver, before they repeated a little more clearly, “Hewoof?”   
  
  
Papyrus stopped and blinked. It wasn't Sans voice at all. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Hound Dog
> 
> _“Sans, what’s wrong?” Papyrus felt like his soul was going to pound out of his chest, filled with a chilling sense of foreboding. “Is it the human? Are they mad that I-” His throat tightened, and he swallowed thickly, “At me?”_
> 
> _“Uh.” There was the sound of some sort of shuffling, like Sans was trying to open the window with his shoulder. “I dunno if I would say mad, persay- I might go for ‘impressed’ or ‘excited,’ actually.” Sans must have gotten frustrated not using his hands, because everything suddenly became a lot noisier._


End file.
